102 participants from 14 nations have gathered in Lenzerheide, Switzerland.
This year of FISU University World Championships and Cups kicks off on 12 January with Ski Orienteering, in Lantsch/Lenz/Lenzerheide, Switzerland, where the best student athletes of the discipline have gathered to compete in optimal conditions until 16 January.
“It is very nice to start the championship season with a sport that is extremely popular with students and with excellent technical and weather conditions”, commented an enthusiastic FISU President Leonz Eder after talking a walk around the facilities.
Set only a few days before the World Ski Orienteering Championships in Ramsau am Dachstein, Austria (21-27 January). The event, set on similar terrain with open areas and many wide tracks, is the perfect opportunity for all the best young ski orienteering specialists to rub shoulders with their opponents in the hope of climbing on their first podium of the year.
Superb conditions
With fresh snow and cold nights, as well as the temperature staying below zero during the day, the conditions are ideal keeping the tracks relatively hard. The sun seems to have decided to also take part in this 2024 FISU World University Championship Ski Orienteering, helping showcase this beautiful resort in canton Grisons (Eastern Switzerland), which has hosted many international sporting events such as Cross-Country skiing, Biathlon and Mountain Biking World Cups – as a true winter wonderland.
Excellence in mind and body
Ski Orienteering, which will be an optional sport at the Torino 2025 FISU Games, is traditionally a sport that many students chose, as it perfectly illustrates FISU’s motto “excellence in mind and body”. Indeed, they need to be very good on their skis, endurant, strong and at the same time keep a clear mind to allow them read the map properly and make the right decisions extremely fast as both the body and the brain are competing for oxygen.
Take a look at this spectacular sport in this exciting introductory video.
The program for the 2024 FISU World University Championship Ski Orienteering is as follows:
12 January: Sprint
13 January: Pursuit
14 January: Rest day
15 January: Middle Distance
16 January: Sprint Relay
More information on the event can be found here.
Written by Thérèse Courvoisier
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