24.06.2014 – SPORT | SAXONY | ERZGEBIRGE
OBERWIESENTHAL - Two more months – then winter will arrive in Oberwiesenthal! Although there is no snow, the same zeal and enthusiasm, which Wintersport fans know from the cold season, remains. The Summer Grand Prix of Nordic combined will inaugurate on the weekend of August 22–24, 2014 on Germany’s highest-altitude hill.
To make the first gathering of the NoKo elite after the Olympic season a highlight for athletes and fans alike, preparations have long been in full swing. At today’s first meeting of the organizing committee, the path for a successful start to the summer season was officially cleared. The district administrator of the Erzgebirge district, Frank Vogel, acts as patron of the event and advocates for the Fichtelberg event; Oberwiesenthal’s mayor Mirko Ernst will serve as president of the event.
“This kickoff meeting was an important step in the preparation to make the event on the second-to-last weekend of holidays a great experience for spectators and a big success for Oberwiesenthal,” said Peter Riedel, who, as deputy chair of the OK alongside the lead chair of WSC Erzgebirge Oberwiesenthal, Kurt Rehahn, is responsible for organizing the Summer Grand Prix.
The construction work on the Fichtelberg ski jump is expected to be completed in July, then teams can look forward to a hopefully new mountain hut village of the highest standard. “We want to give the teams the opportunity to use the Fichtelberg ski jump for comprehensive training in advance,” said Riedel. “With the expansion of the landing area last year and the ongoing construction for further expansion of the ski jump facility, teams will be able to train at an even higher level at Fichtelberg in the future.”
Eight weeks of preparation time remain for the skiers. Then it will be seen whether the international elite can grow into Olympic champion Eric Frenzel on his home hill.