World Cup applications for 2029 must be submitted by the beginning of May. Lahti’s tactic was to announce its application intentions early, so that as few other cities as possible would be interested in the major sports event.
Applications must be submitted after a couple of months.
Lahti announced well in advance last year that he was aiming for the Games. The idea was specifically to drive away potential competing applicants in advance, because others could perceive Lahti as a difficult opponent.
The city of Lahti and the ski association are currently preparing the application. The city of Lahti has hired one person for the preparation work.
The actual decision on the organizer of the 2029 Games will be made by the Congress of the International Ski Federation in May 2024.
– However, the decisive thing is whether there will be other applications by May 1, 2023. There are no others, at least for now, and no one else has announced that they are applying, says Haapasalmi.
The March competition is a showcase
According to Markku Haapasalmi, the chairman of the Finnish Ski Federation, there is still no official \”review\” related to the World Cup application for the Salpausselkä Games organized at the end of March, but he believes that the event is an important way to show Lahti’s strengths.
When applying for the World Championships, weight is currently placed on, among other things, the ability to ensure snow conditions and take care of performance venues, as well as the promotion of sustainable development.
– In practice, our centenary competition in a few weeks will be a kind of showcase from this point of view as well. We want to show that we have wonderful competitions and a hundred-year history, says Haapasalmi.
One example of presenting environmental themes is the seminar organized in connection with the Salpausselkä Games, where the responsibility of sports events and the future of winter sports as the climate warms are discussed.