The International Ski Federation (FIS) announced today that all remaining World Cups in Norway are canceled due to the ongoing pandemic.
“Due to new Covid-19 government restrictions announced today by the Norwegian government that the Norwegian Ski Association will be unable to host any further competitions through the end of the current World Cup season, due to the stricter travel and event-related restrictions,” stated the press release.
The mandate runs across the snowsport disciplines and includes cancellations for cross-country, nordic combined, and alpine skiing.
The announcement removes the storied Oslo races at Holmenkollen on March 12-14 and the Lillehammer World Cup Finals from march 19-21. Already, the Lillehammer races were postponed last year due to the government’s Covid-19 restrictions – they were originally scheduled for December 4-6.
The Norwegian Ski Federation held a tight grip on the cross-country national team this World Cup season. The federation pulled skiers from the World Cup after the opening weekend in Ruka, Finland. No Norwegians contested the Tour de Ski, and they returned to competition in Lahti, Finland on January 23 – a near two month hiatus from international racing. During that time, Norway’s biathlon team did travel and race on the IBU World Cup.
According to a Forbes story on January 27, Norway’s borders were closed except for essential travel. The new restrictions posted by the federal government are limiting. Under the guidelines, foreign athletes and team staff do not qualify for an exemption to enter Norway.