One Month to go: Oslo 2011
Oslo 2011 mascots Fnugg and Ull. Illustration: Trond Vestengen
Oslo aims to stage the best FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in history from 24th February to 6th March 2011. The sports program is tightly packed with 21 events over 11 days. There will be eleven days of Cross-Country, four days of Nordic Combined and five days of Ski Jumping competitions. Many of the weekday events will start in the afternoon – in addition there will be two night Ski Jumping competitions – especially to make them more accessible to the public and generate a true ski festival with large crowds.
“We are on schedule, and really looking forward to get started. On Friday, 21st January we will take over the Holmenkollen Arena from the City of Oslo – and that is a major milestone for us. We have so far sold 150’000 tickets, which we are very pleased with. But still more people are welcome to Holmenkollen, since altogether we have 300,000 tickets available,” said Asne Havnelid, CEO of Oslo 2011.
Norway has one of the world’s richest skiing traditions. It should therefore come as no surprise that the vision of Oslo 2011 is “to spread enthusiasm about the joys of winter”. To host the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2011 in Oslo provides a unique opportunity for the country to underscore its standing as the world’s preeminent skiing and spectator nation. Norway has previously organized the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships four times: in 1930 (Oslo), 1966 (Oslo), 1982 (Oslo) and 1997 (Trondheim).
All the title competitions will be carried out at the revamped facilities at Holmenkollen, which was upgraded to become one of the world’s most modern ski arenas, including the new Holmenkollen ski jump as a spectacular architectural icon. The short distances between the Holmenkollen hill (HS 134), the Midtstuen hill (HS 106) and the Cross-Country stadium make the 2011 championships unique.
During the Championships the centre of Oslo will be filled with cultural events, outdoor concerts and street life to show the public that the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships can be even more than fantastic ski competitions. The goal is to move the energy of the day at Holmenkollen to downtown Oslo in the evening. Each night there will be a medal ceremony along with an outdoor music concert. There will also be a separate mingling area near the artificial ice rink and an ice sculpture exhibition inspired by Eduard Munch and much more besides. Welcome to Oslo2011 – the world’s Winter Capital!
For more information, visit www.oslo2011.no
Source: FIS Ski
