The FIS Cross-Country season 2010/11 with the highlight at the FIS World Ski Championships in Oslo has only just ended. As of now, all eyes in the Nordic Skiing world begin to turn to Val di Fiemme in Italy where the next World Championships will take place in 2013. Val di Fiemme is an experienced organizer, having hosted the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in 1991 and 2003.

In order to meet the developing requirements of Cross-Country Skiing, the course system in the Cross-Country venue at the Lago di Tesero is being adapted and improved. FIS homologation expert Uros Ponikvar (SLO) will support the LOC with advice and expertise. "The basic system will consist of two separate 3.75 km loops and their combinations that include a challenging sprint course, and 2.5 km & 3.3 km trails, providing combinations for 5 km, 7.5 km and 8.33 km courses. We have tried to use existing courses and parts of the existing courses to keep the legacy as well as meet the modern sport requirements there," explained Uros Ponikvar.

Renovation at the competition venues, namely at the Cross-Country Ski Center in Lago di Tesero and at the Ski Jumping Stadium in Predazzo already kicked off in June 2010. Besides the underground area for the International Broadcasting Center, the Fiemme 2013 team decided to enlarge the race offices, build a brand-new building that will host the accreditation office, a new area for volunteers and a sub-press center for the World Championships as well as for other sport events later on.
In the upcoming weeks, the Fiemme 2013 team will make a detailed measurement of the proposed courses and all proposals are going to be discussed at the FIS Calendar Conference in Portoroz in the first week of June. Kick-off of ground works on the Cross-Country courses is scheduled for July 2011.

The Ski Jumping stadium close to Predazzo is also under construction: "The construction was started in September 2010. The main project will be the operational building at the bottom of the stadium that will enhance the stadium. A new media center, offices, commentator cabins, team captains meeting room and VIP area are also planned," informed Sandro Pertile, Marketing Manager of Fiemme 2013 and former Ski Jumper. "The hills have been renovated in 2000 but they also need upgrading. For the hills, the main work will be improvements for the guardrail along both inruns, further development of the snow-making system and the judges' tower. A cooling system for both hills will ensure good quality of the inrun track in the future. A big storage area and new tribune are also planned .For the future generations of ski jumpers, renovation of the HS 60 jumping hill will bring new motivation for the Italian team."

The construction in Predazzo will be completed by the end of November to be ready for the pre-World Championships during the upcoming season. These test events will offer a great opportunity to present the new venue that will host the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2013.

Includes contributions by Michal Lamplot and Sandra Spitz