German ski stars oppose more races

Just over two weeks before the start of the alpine ski world cup season, Kira Weidle-Winkelmann and Emma Aicher reject an expansion of the race calendar, including an annual world championship.

09 October 2026

From: dpa/det

“The calendar is practically full. From Sölden to the finals, there’s something happening every weekend,” said Weidle-Winkelmann in an interview with BR24Sport. The alpine season traditionally begins on October 24th and 25th in Sölden, Austria. The season concludes this coming winter, from March 18th to 25th, 2027, in Sun Valley, USA.

The background to this is the proposal by the new president of the International Ski Federation, Alexander Ospelt, for an annual Alpine World Ski Championship. "The World Championship title means a great deal to athletes, also financially. Discussions have been ongoing for a long time, and we would certainly implement this in the athletes' best interests. At the same time, it's also about smaller countries, which would have more new goals with a World Championship," the Luxembourger explained.

More races for new markets?

Ospelt continued, saying that other markets could be developed, such as China, Japan, or South Korea: "Holding a World Championship there and giving them the chance to become part of a larger system is beneficial for everyone." The Council of the International Ski Federation (FIS) had publicly considered holding World Championships every year except Olympic years. The plan is to start in 2032, perhaps even as early as 2028. Currently, Alpine and Nordic World Ski Championships are only held in odd-numbered years.

Kira Weidle-Winkelmann, speed star from Germany. © ANSA / JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT

Even for a frequent racer like Aicher, that's too much. "I really enjoy racing, but I don't know when they'd want to add even more races. From mid-November to the end of March, it's pretty much full. There's something every weekend, sometimes even during the week," said the 22-year-old.

Calendars are crowded and unbalanced

Following the opening races in Sölden, featuring giant slaloms for both men and women, the winter season continues with slalom races for men and women in Levi, Finland, on November 14th and 15th. The action then picks up quickly: slalom races in Gurgl, Austria, on November 21st and 22nd, followed by three women's and two men's World Cups in North America, each featuring different disciplines, running until December 13th.

This is particularly problematic for all-rounders like Aicher. "For someone like Emma, who can finish in the top five in four disciplines and on the podium in three, planning becomes very difficult," national coach Andreas Puelacher told BR.

Furthermore, Weidle-Winkelmann considers the race calendar unbalanced. "I would like to see more speed races. Currently, there are more technical races scheduled than speed races. With speed races, there's always the issue that they are more likely to be canceled," emphasized the 30-year-old speed specialist.

Keywords Winter sports Alpine skiing Emma Aicher