News from Cross Country Canada-March 2009

The International Ski Federation (FIS) has made the unprecedented decision to award North America permanent calendar dates on the World Cup (WC) circuit through to 2013. This landmark decision recognizes the growing reputation Canada in particular has for hosting quality events, on technically challenging trails, with reliable snow conditions, with highly trained volunteers and in world class facilities.

Canada has built its reputation through its early hosting efforts with the Olympics in 1988, followed by the World Cup events in the early 90s and the World Nordic Championships in 1995. Showing that Canada continues to meet the changing needs of the World Cup Circuit, the 2005 and 2008 World Cups solidified the country's international reputation. Coupled with the inroads that Canada has made on the high performance front, Canada has signalled that it has earned a place as a serious 'cross country ski' presence.

With a refurbished 1988 Olympic site in Canmore and Canada's newest 2010 venue, Whistler Olympic Park, along with growing interest in eastern Canada to host WCs, Canada is well positioned to meet this challenge.

This recent FIS decision effectively doubles the number of Canada's opportunities to host World Cup events in the future. Since 2004, overseas nations (which include Canada) were positioned to only host a WC every two years. Canada has been approved by the FIS Council to be on the WC circuit in future years for every three out of each four year block. The original request was for one permanent calendar date (the equivalent of one weekend of racing). As outlined below, Canada received more than it had asked for in terms of the number of WC hosting opportunities. The WC Sub-Committee of the FIS Cross Country Committee made it clear that the major teams were only interested in coming to Canada if it was for more than one weekend of racing. The resulting proposal from the Committee's deliberations offered Canada the following model which essentially commits to having Canada as a multiple stop on the world cup circuit 3 out of every 4 years:

Season 2011-12 3rd week of February - one full week and 2 weekends following a Tour de Ski concept

Season 2012-13 Two back to back weekends in December - weekend #2 and #3 in different locations with potential for a mid-week option if the sites are in good proximity

Season 2013-14 Olympic year - no WCs in Canada

Season 2014-15
Two back to back weekends in December - weekend #2 and #3 in different locations with potential for a mid-week option if the sites are in good proximity

Season 2015-16
Potential to repeat the 3rd week of February - Tour de Ski concept

The FIS Council has approved this model through to 2013. The possibility of continuing this model past 2013 clearly rests in our hands. We would need to demonstrate that we can deliver these additional World Cups at the same high standards that has been established by our most recent organizing committees: Alberta World Cup Society, Canmore, Sovereign Lake Nordic, Vernon and VANOC at Whistler Olympic Park.

Looking Forward
The potential financial risks and workload obligations may appear daunting, but we need to begin by looking at why this is important to cross country ski racing in Canada.

Why is this important to our sport's development?
Here are some benefits we have witnessed from our recent WC hosting:

Stimulates the exposure of XC on TV and increase the level of participation and commitment to international excellence;
Greatly increases the opportunities for Canadian elite racers to race at the WC level through the increased host nation quota - builds confidence and commitment among senior age racers;
Attracts higher level sponsorship opportunities (due to TV) that brings significant spin off support to other program areas;
Significantly enhances/develops/modernizes competition site infrastructure enhances sponsor engagement through co-hosting of corporate events within the WC package;
Increases interest in Officials' training and the assumption of leadership roles within officials' development;
Increases opportunities for coaching experiences at the international level;
Increases opportunity to build a broader sport following and creates highly visible role models in action - past Olympians as colour commentators etc.;
Realizes similar (albeit on a smaller scale) the benefits that Hockey Canada, Skate Canada, Curling Canada and Alpine Canada have due to their TV presence; We too can be in everyone's living room at least a few times a year on the sports channels;
It represents our sport's post 2010 stimulus package in the shape of a WC in those regions (Divisions) that can manage the challenge.There are many potential plusses but there are also significant risks and cost factors. WC hosting is a major undertaking and requires significant community and regional support that garners financial investment from a variety of economic interests and all levels government. One day of WC activity can easily cost between $500,000-$700,000 per competition day which is heavily influenced by TV production costs related to specific race formats. The non-grant revenues produced by the event properties will barely cover 33% of that amount.

On balance, experience in Canada to date is that with the right financial backing and good fiscal management WC Hosting can have benefits beyond the development of infrastructure and increased human resource capacity. The level of success is strongly related to good long range planning among the partner stakeholders.

For this level of investment sponsors do want to know that the opportunity repeats itself, and that it allows them to build long term benefit and brand affiliation. Our previous low frequency hosting opportunities failed to provide that sponsorship incentive.

So what are Canada's next steps?

For the Tour de Ski Concept: Cross Country Canada is expected to provide some detail at the 2009 FIS Spring meetings regarding the potential for providing a Tour de Ski concept in February 2012. The entire concept is still being fleshed out at FIS but the current thinking is that we need to have at least 3 sites, maximum 4 that can deliver a variety of race formats of which the hill climb could be the finale as in the current Tour de Ski.

Currently within CCC the feeling is that this Tour event format can only be delivered in the West given the 2012 timelines and the available number of existing homologated courses within reasonable close proximity. The sprint elements and prologue options that are typical of the Tour format do lend themselves to other city centre considerations so there is still room to be thinking outside the box in terms of non-traditional competition facilities.

To this end CCC is asking interested communities/clubs to come forward with their expressions of interest as outlined in CCC's "SOLICITATION OF INTEREST TO HOST WORLD CUP EVENTS IN CANADA POST 2010" document which is available at this link: http://www.cccski.com/dbfiles/1426.pdf . Further follow-up steps are contained in this solicitation document. The deadline for an initial submission of these "expressions of interest" is April 15, 2009. Details on the steps to complete the process are contained in the above mentioned document. These steps will allow Canada to indicate to the FIS at its late May 2009 meetings whether or not we have the required interest and capacity to move forward with more detailed planning for the Tour de Ski Concept.

For the December 2012 back to back weekend opportunities: Cross Country Canada is likewise seeking initial expressions of interest from club/communities across Canada who felt that they had the capacity and interest to look at the more traditional weekend WC event hosting opportunities. This solicitation of interest is also contained in the above mentioned document. More attention will be directed to the hosting of these events over the summer 2009 once the Tour de Ski Concept is underway. The initial "expression of interest" submission deadline for these events is set for October 31, 2009.

Expressions of Interest follow-up or further information can be sought from either:

Dave Dyer

Director of Marketing and Events Management

ddyer@cccski.com

Janet Gates

CCC Events Committee Chair
janet.gates@sympatico.ca