Despite ski jumping being practiced in the summer on artificial surfaces, it is predominantly associated with winter. However, it seems that soon this discipline might find its way into countries that have no connection to winter sports climatically. Sandro Pertile, the director of the Ski Jumping World Cup, believes that competitions in ski jumping could soon take place in Brazil.

Will they jump in swim trunks?

We are thinking of a mobile system. We could set it up at Maracanã and organize a grand spectacle. There is also the possibility of building indoor facilities, for example in Dubai – if we can find an investor. Our goal is a mobile hill of 150 meters. This way, we could reach any place in the world, said Sandro Pertile. Designing such a facility is expected to take five years, with another five for construction. These ideas are still in the future, but they may change considering climate change. In recent years, snowless landscapes have become the norm even in Austria and Norway, with snow being transported to the ski jumps from the highest mountain regions.

We have great options: we can jump on snow, on mats, or hybrid, he said. The hybrid variant, with a run on an ice track and landing on mats, was implemented in Wisła last winter. It would also allow extending the season beyond winter and jumping in places where swim trunks are worn all year round.

Copa2014.gov.br

Tradition vs. money

The idea of the World Cup director has been criticized by, among others, members of the German Ski Association (DSV) and some ski jumpers. Enthusiasm for winter sports in Germany is still uninterrupted and is part of the culture, says the DSV statement. But when the issue is unclear, it is, of course, about money. Sandro Pertile does not hide that he sees the opportunity to attract new sponsors by entering the Brazilian market, especially the United Arab Emirates.

They won't be pioneers

A few years ago, a similar idea was considered by the Polish Ski Association, which contemplated building a ski jump at the National Stadium or Silesian Stadium. However, the idea failed because, according to calculations, the cost of such a venture would be as high as 5 mln €, while potential revenues were only 4 mln € . However, this does not mean that a ski jumping competition has never taken place at a stadium. In the past, jumps were made, among other places, at Wembley, Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, and Soldier Field in Chicago. However, this was mainly in the 1950s and 1960s when everything was simpler, especially safety rules.

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