This year's general assembly of the Saslong Classic Club, organizer of the Alpine World Cup classics in Val Gardena/Gröden, was dominated by the election of the new board of directors. Furthermore, the past winter was reviewed in the presence of various guests of honor, including Provincial Councillor Daniel Alfreider and FIS Race Director Markus Waldner.

Rainer Senoner will continue to preside over the Saslong Classic Club for the next four years. The members unanimously elected the 53-year-old from Selva/Wolkenstein as the chairman and thus expressing their confidence in him for the upcoming legislative period. “It's a great honor and pleasure for me to continue to lead the Saslong Classic Club. Together with our board, I would like to continue on the path we have taken and work further on improving our structure. At the same time, I will do my best to ensure that the Val Gardena/Gröden races stay on the FIS calendar. Because this is not a matter of course. Year after year, we have to perform at our best, stay active and prudent so that we will continue to be part of the World Cup family in the future. Furthermore, contract re-negotiations with our partners to finance our races are due in the near future", Senoner said in a first reaction after his re-election.

Besides Senoner, Marcello Cobelli, Damiano Dell'Osbel, Horst Demetz, Moritz Demetz, Daniela Holzknecht, Igor Marzola, Manuela Perathoner, Werner Perathoner, Monika Runggaldier and Thomas Wielander will serve on the ten-member board of directors that will be responsible for the Val Gardena/Gröden World Cup Committee. Meanwhile, the supervisory board consists of Ivo Senoner, Thomas Weissensteiner and Hans Peter Perathoner.

During the general assembly Paolo Cappadozzi was honored for his valuable support as long-time president of the Val Gardena-Alpe di Siusi Cableways.

Looking back on the past winter, Senoner emphasized that the cancellation of the classic downhill race was still painful. "It hurt so much because from the beginning of December until the beginning of the World Cup week we had perfect conditions all over the area and were extremely well prepared. But unfortunately nobody is immune to a heat wave like we experienced in mid-December. At the same time, I would like to stress that it was almost a miracle that we were able to hold a downhill training and the Super-G under such unfavorable conditions. Therefore I would like to thank once again the FIS and team around race director Markus Waldner and of course my whole team once again for the excellent work", Senoner concluded.

This year the 53rd speed classics on the Saslong are scheduled for Friday, 18 (super-G) and Saturday, 19 December (downhill).