The race on the second day of the Tour de Ski is skied as a chase instead of a joint start. Teemu Pasanen says that the new change was made for safety reasons.
22:12•Updated 22:19
The format of the second race day of the Tour de Ski tour has been alive in the last few days. The traditional race held on Sunday, New Year’s Day in Switzerland’s Val Müstair, was originally supposed to be a ten-kilometer pursuit for both men and women.
On Wednesday, the race organizers said that the race will be skied as a joint start. The reason was the bad snow situation. Just before the Tour that starts on Saturday, however, there was another twist: Sunday’s race will be held as a chase according to the original plan.
On Friday evening, four countries presented at the team managers’ meeting to return the race to the pursuit. Originally, the course should have been a 3.3 kilometer loop, but it was changed to 2.5 kilometers long. Head coach of the Finnish national team Teemu Pasanen says that as a joint start, the new track would have created a safety threat.
– Especially in men, hardly any differences could be made. When a hundred men start skiing on such a course at the same time and who do not get any difference during at least two laps, it would be practically impossible. It practically became a fencing match. It could go badly, as has happened in a few competitions.
– That’s why more countries wanted to raise the issue today at the team meeting. Finland, Sweden, Norway and Italy were the active countries that raised the issue together. In the team meeting, it was mentioned that a chase race would be much safer and perhaps also fairer for the athletes. In the end, a dozen countries were in favor of the exchange, says Pasanen.
Criticism of FIS
Pasanen would have liked to have used a 3.3 kilometer track.
– This all reflects the fact that the arrangements are not taken care of last. The FIS (International Ski Federation) and the organizers are keen on it. The races should be managed properly and be sure that the snow situation is in order. The organizers should be required that the conditions are in order when the games are granted. It should be improved.
Although the race in question is not the best possible, Pasanen says that a good race can be achieved by chasing on the track. Before Sunday’s race, there will be a free sprint.
– A sprint with bonus seconds means that the difference between the first and the last runner will be maybe one and a half minutes. Then they will be in a long queue, which will allow them to ski better and there will be no dangerous situations, says Pasanen.