FIS defend qualifying
ByReuters
Published 14/02/2007 at 22:05 GMT
New qualifying rules will be maintained at the world championships despite protests from the smaller nations. Several countries complained about the rules saying they made it almost impossible for competitors from nations with no skiing tradition to quali
ALPINE SKIING 2006 Senegal Leyti Seck
Image credit: Imago
"All I have to say about all the complaints and attacks we've heard over this is that I saw joy on the faces of the 25 skiers who qualified for the giant slalom," FIS race director Guenter Hujara told the daily meeting of team captains.
"This was our reward."
Qualifying has been introduced here for the men's giant slalom and slalom to limit entrants. The top 50 in the world automatically qualify for the first legs of the two technical events, and are joined by the top 25 from qualifying.
Hujara turned down a proposal by Senegalese federation president Lamine Gueye who suggested first legs with 120 skiers, with one competitor from each of the smaller nations automatically qualifying.
The FIS official said a leg with too many entrants was impossible to broadcast and television was where the money paid to the smaller federations came from.
The giant slalom was won by Norway's Aksel Lund Svindal on Wednesday. Qualifying for Saturday's slalom takes place on Thursday.
Gueye has withdrawn his racer, Leyty Seck, from the two technical events to protest over the new qualifying format.
Ghana's Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong has also pulled out of the championships, returning home after failing to qualify for the giant slalom.
Skiing in a fake leopard-skin suit in temperatures below minus 10 Celsius, he finished over a minute off the pace.
There is no qualifying for the women's technical events.
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