Nordic combined looks to
new format in post-Manninen era
Hamburg - Nordic combined skiing has undergone a
complete overhaul to raise its popularity but has
lost its superstar Hannu Manninen when the World
Cup season starts on Saturday. Manninen, 30, announced
his retirement in May, quitting after a poor 2007-08
season. He is the sport's most decorated athlete
with four World Cup trophies 2004-2007, a record
45 race wins, a sprint world title and team golds
at worlds and Olympics.
The Finn will now watch from the sidelines as the
sport twinning ski-jumping and cross-country skiing
has changed face again for popularity and television
reasons.
All events will now see one round of jumping and
a 10-kilometres skiing pursuit based on the jumping
results as the individual event (also known as Gundersen
event: two jumps, 15km) and sprint (one jump, 7.5km)
have been scrapped.
The mass start event (10km skiing followed by jumping)
will be held for the last times in Val di Fiemme,
Italy, and at the February 18-March 1 world championships
in Liberec, Czech Republic.
"It is an attempt to present our sport in an
easier way. Nordic combined will profit and raise
its popularity," said German coach Hermann
Weinbuch.
"Our sport is not perceived in the way it could
be. Sometimes people even tell us: We know Nordic
combined - that's the people who ski with the rifle."
That sport with skiing and shooting is biathlon,
which has made a very successful transition to a
popular TV sport through various rule changes and
new formats.
Nordic combined will hope for similar success and
also seeks growing interest by sharing venues with
the popular ski-jumpers several times this season,
which should generate bigger crowds.
It remains open how established skiers like reigning
World Cup champion Ronny Ackermann of Germany or
Austria's Christoph Bieler will fare under the new
rules. Other contenders include Norway's Petter
Tande, American Bill Demong and Frenchman Jason
Lamy Chappuis.
Bieler said he expects "not a lot of change
at the top and that the same faces will dominate."
Ackermann, 31, is out to improve on his 27 World
Cup race wins as he seeks a fourth overall title.
He also aims to add to his four world titles in
Liberec but remains slightly cautious.
"We have a new competition format, let's see
how I cope with it," said Ackermann.
A first indication will come on Saturday and Sunday
at the season-openers in Kuusamo, Finland. The season
has a record 26 events, including test events at
the Vancouver 2010 Olympics venue, and concludes
on March 15 in Vikersund, Norway.
