Criticism of FIS plans

Bergisel floodlights! Women’s tour soon a reality?

The construction of the floodlighting system at Innsbruck Bergisel, which is considered to be a sticking point, should be completed this year if possible.

(Bild: GEPA/GEPA pictures)

The Four Hills Tournament for women ski jumpers, which has been planned for several years, could become a reality in 2026/27. The construction of floodlights on the Bergisel in Innsbruck, which has been considered a sticking point, should be completed this year if possible. Approval procedures are currently underway. According to ÖSV Managing Director Christian Scherer, the tender is in preparation. Ideally, there could be an Innsbruck competition for female ski jumpers in January 2026, but this is by no means certain.

Eva Pinkelnig and Co. will not be able to jump on all four hills of the traditional series at the same time as the men until the 2026/27 post-Olympic season at the earliest. "Floodlights are the basic prerequisite, then there are still logistical details to clarify. But there should be a tour for the women from 2026/27 - if the framework conditions are right," said Scherer. The ÖSV always emphasizes that they only want to realize a women's tour as a fully-fledged product and not as an accessory to the men's event.

Eva Pinkelnig

(Bild: GEPA/GEPA pictures)

The female skiers have little understanding for the long back and forth. "Every year that we are not involved is a lost year for women's ski jumping and the sport in general. Of course I would rather have four than two competitions, a four-hill tour with Innsbruck and Bischofshofen," said Pinkelnig. So far, there has been the "Two Nights Tour" in Garmisch and Oberstdorf for the female jumpers at the turn of the year, but alternating with the men. This is followed by the World Cup in Villach. According to reports, the two-part tour in Germany is still fixed for 2025/26.

Pinkelnig holds the decision-makers responsible for the tour and wants to make her own contribution with strong performances. "I'm an athlete, not an organizer. There are many clever people who take care of that. My job is to jump far and create positive emotions," said Pinkelnig.

ÖSV not very enthusiastic about FIS plans
Scherer stated that they understand the need for as many women's large hill competitions as possible and the efforts to bring both genders together at the same venues. At the same time, however, the future of the other Austrian normal hill World Cups must also be considered. "What is important for us is what happens with Villach and Hinzenbach. We also need these ski jumps for training young talent," said Scherer.

He does not believe that the FIS's efforts to harmonize are well thought out. "In some places, that's fine, but then there are also fewer ski jumps, which would then be lost for the training of young athletes, the FIS hasn't thought this through to the end," said Scherer, citing Ljubno in Slovenia as another example. In any case, the ÖSV will work to ensure that as many of the existing women's venues as possible are retained. For Villach, this would mean a different date than before in the event of a tour. The World Cup in Carinthia currently takes place at the beginning of January at the same time as the Innsbruck event.

At Bergisel, the floodlights should provide enough time on the short winter days in future. However, the construction is by no means a done deal. "It can't be guaranteed for 2026. The approval process is currently underway with the State Environmental Ombudsman, after which we would immediately put the project out to tender and fix the construction schedule," explained Scherer. He cited long delivery times for the lighting components as another problem.