Ski Classics has been turned into a joint stock company.
“This is an important step in developing Ski Classics in the right direction,” says chairman Jonas Bauer.
Ski Classics is the long distance ski championships, consisting of six of the most prestigious ski events in the world: Jizerská Padesatká in Czech Republic, Marcialonga in Italy, König Ludwig Lauf in Germany, Vasaloppet in Sweden, Birkebeinerrennet in Norway and the Ski Classics Final in Sweden (venue to be announces shortly), all of which 50 km or more and open for professional as well as amateur skiers.
The newly founded company behind the Ski Classics organization is called Ski Classics AB. The race associations of the Vasaloppet and the Birkebeinerrennet together own 51 percent of the stocks. The rest of the stocks are owned by IEC in Sports, an international sports marketing company distributing existing and developing new sports events worldwide.
Jonas Bauer, CEO for the Vasaloppet until just recently, will be the new chairman of the board for the Ski Classics AB.
“The establishment of Ski Classics AB is an important step in continuing the great work that has been done through Ski Classics. This a way to secure the development of the concept Ski Classics, in a way that will do good for the entire family of long distance skiing: elite competitors, amateur skiers, race organizers, the ski industry, the ski federations and many more. By forming the company, we can continue the important cooperation with IEC over time and create a stability that will be beneficial to the overall development,” Bauer says.
David Nilsson will become the CEO for the new company. He has worked for many years in order to internationalize long distance skiing, where an important step was to launch Ski Classics in January 2011.
“Ski Classics is unique in winter sports having both professional and amateur skiers in the same races,” Nilsson says.
“Right now Ski Classics consists of six races, but I believe it would be possible in the future to add one or two more to the tour. It would be suitable with a race before Christmas, or in February between the König Ludwig Lauf and the Vasaloppet. To be part of Ski Classics a potential race needs, among other things, to be able finance a TV production of international standard. So far, none of the long distance races in skating technique has fulfilled this. But if for example Engadin Ski Marathon or La Sgambeda solves this we would be happy to have them in Ski Classics,” Nilsson says.
Ski Classics 2013:
Event 1 Jizerska Padesatka Czech Republic 13th January 2013
Event 2 Marcialonga Italy 27th January 2013
Event 3 König Ludwig Lauf Germany 3rd February 2013
Event 4 Vasaloppet Sweden 3rd March 2013
Event 5 Birkebeinerrennet Norway 16th March 2013
Event 6 Ski Classics Final Sweden 23rd March 2012