November 4, 2024 Sappada/ITA was the venue for the annual meeting of The World Masters Cross-Country Ski Association (WMA) at the beginning of October 2024, which brought together national directors from 22 nations and the WMA Executive Board.
The main items on the agenda concerned the Masters World Cups in 2025, 2026 and 2027. However, the main focus was on the 2026 Masters World Cup, which will take place in Sappada from 29 January to 6 February. Sappada is located in the Dolomites at 1200 metres above sea level and belongs to the province of Udine. The delegates were able to inspect the competition courses, stadiums, infrastructure and accommodation. The entire organizational process was presented by multiple Olympic and world champions Silvio Fauner as OC President and Pietro Piller Cottrer as Chief of Competitions.
For the first time in the history of the Masters World Cups, the relay competitions will be held in a different stadium to the individual competitions in 2026. The WMA Executive agreed to this approach, as it has positive political relevance for the region. The relay competitions will take place in Forni Alvoltri (biathlon stadium) and the individual competitions directly in the centre of Sappada.
The fact that the 2026 Winter Olympics (6-20 February) will be held immediately after the end of the MWC should be particularly appealing for many Masters participants. For example, the venues for the alpine competitions (Cortina d'Ampezzo) and biathlon (Antholz) are less than an hour's drive from Sappada.
At the moment, however, the focus is on the next Masters World Cup. Following a successful staging in 2017, this will once again take place in Klosters/SUI between 8 and 16 March 2025. The organizing committee provided information on the current status of preparations and accommodation bookings. All information can be found on the organizer’s website at www.mwc2025.com. Entries (online at datasport.com) are possible until 31 December 2024 at a reduced entry fee of € 220; from 1 January 2025, the entry fee will be € 250. The fact that the MWC can once again be combined with the Engadin Ski Marathon (9 March) is likely to appeal to many participants.
The committee from Tromsö/NOR presented an interesting application. The delegates voted unanimously in favour of holding the 45th Masters World Cup in Norway for the 5th time.
