Last COC in Oberwiesenthal Cancelled Before Reconstruction Due to a Breaking Track

OBERWIESENTHAL/RASCHAU, March 3, 2013 – On Saturday, March 2, Slovenian Ema Klinec had beaten Michaela Dolezelova (TCH) and German Juliane Seyfarth, but today, Sunday, the springlike temperatures prevailed over the snow on the hill: And so the FIS Continental Cup for ladies, the last official competition on the Fichtelberg hill before its reconstruction, had to be canceled.

In the presence of all the Erzgebirge's sports-political elite and sports and coaching greats like Jochen Danneberg and Henry Glass, the track could not withstand the meteorological conditions and broke. A test run was started, but even before it ended the organizers had to acknowledge the futility of their strenuous efforts—the competition was canceled.

Peter Riedel, whose company will lay a new combined approach track during the summer (with two parallel tracks switching from winter to summer track poses no problem), expressed his disappointment that the competition had to be canceled. 'We all want high-caliber, fair sport,' said the ski jumping enthusiast, 'and I am especially sorry for the athletes. But if it cannot be done, it cannot be done. I can only promise: after the reconstruction, many things will be better!'