Harsh Kriechmayr criticism: “We have nothing to say”

The World Ski Federation (FIS) closes its eyes and ears to alternative ideas - and there is not enough solidarity among the athletes. Kriechmayr made no secret of the fact that interventions at the FIS are rather hopeless. The athletes had “nothing to say at all”. He therefore considers it unlikely that the upcoming overall World Cup winner will come from the speed sector. “I think the two technicians who have been behind Marcel for the last few years are much happier than we are,” the Upper Austrian referred to the Frenchman Alexis Pinturault and the Norwegian Henrik Kristoffersen. ÖSV hope Marco Schwarz also has a chance.

Who will be Marcel Hirscher's successor as overall World Cup winner? © APA / EXPA/JOHANN GRODER

Matthias Mayer sees it straight away: “You just have to look at the calendar to know the answer.” It shows 24 technical races (12 slaloms, 2 parallel slaloms, 10 RTL) versus 19 speed races (10 downhills, 9 super -G) a clear picture. An announcement from Hannes Reichelt came almost as a surprise, who recently said that a speed driver could win the big trophy for the first time since Carlo Janka in 2010. But for this to happen, a series like the one Dominik Paris put in last season is necessary. After his Kitzbühel victory and 200-point weekends in Bormio, Kvitfjell and Soldeu, the man from Ultimo was ultimately only 195 points behind the runner-up, Kristoffersen. FIS smashes pretty much everything “The problem,” says Kriechmayr, “is that we athletes have nothing to say at the FIS, and that’s why nothing changes.” The downhill skiers had already voiced their concerns two years ago and made numerous suggestions. “We came to a common denominator. Everyone was of the opinion that we could make our sport firstly safer and secondly more interesting,” said Kriechmayr. The result: “Pretty much everything was rejected by the FIS.”

Dominik Paris – a candidate for the overall World Cup? © AFP / JAVIER SORIANO

His colleague Reichelt, as an athlete spokesman, had long - and in vain - acted as a harsh critic of the decision-making processes within the World Ski Association. “The relationship between speed and technique, which I tried to change during my four years, still doesn’t work,” said the 39-year-old. “I rebelled against it relatively boldly. Maybe we need to do it more diplomatically.” A “Four Hills Tournament” for skiers? Kriechmayr also took his kind by the nose. “We often talked about the possibility, as there is in Formula 1 or in other sports, a drivers' commission or a union, or whatever you call it. Then we athletes would have a lot more power.” But the skiers’ union never came to fruition.

“I’m a fan of the idea of leaving the four basic disciplines and having an equal distribution of races.” Vincent Kriechmayr Kriechmayr could deposit his plans in one of these. “I’m a fan of the idea of leaving the four basic disciplines and having an equal distribution of races. Then there would be the same number of races for everyone and you wouldn’t have so many on the calendar,” said Kriechmayr. “And the current format could be pimped up a little – there are already ways to make the whole sport more interesting.”

A classic series would be attractive to him: “You could, just like the Four Hills Tournament, combine three classics – Wengen, Kitzbühel, Garmisch – and throw in a bit of prize money. In Garmisch, the person who sets the fastest time overall wins. If someone wins all three races, there is another jackpot.” Kriechmayr emphasized that he was a huge fan of alpine skiing, despite all the criticism. “I’m passionate about it. But maybe we can make a difference.”

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Harsh Kriechmayr criticism: “We have nothing to say”

After Marcel Hirscher's resignation, the cards in the Ski World Cup are being reshuffled. But according to Vincent Kriechmayr, one thing won't change any time soon: Downhill riders like him have practically no chance of winning the big ball due to the uneven distribution of the races.

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