June 4, 2024 will go down in the annals of South Tyrolean sports history. At the 55th FIS Congress in Reykjavik (Iceland), the Executive Board of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation FIS awarded Val Gardena/Gröden the 2031 Alpine World Ski Championships. This means that for the second time since 1970, the Alpine Championships will be held at the foot of the Sassolungo mountain. The entire delegation, which includes Governor Arno Kompatscher, is naturally overjoyed.

The 2029 and 2031 Alpine World Ski Championships were awarded at the Harpa Congress Center in Reykjavik on Tuesday evening. The International Ski and Snowboard Federation FIS had decided to award two World Championships this time due to the three excellent bids from Narvik (Norway), Soldeu (Andorra) and Val Gardena. Narvik won the bid for 2029 and shortly afterwards it was quiet as a mouse when FIS President Johan Eliasch announced the name of the 2031 venue.

When he finally read out the name Val Gardena, the delegation led by Rainer Senoner erupted in boundless jubilation. It seemed as if a weight of tons had been lifted from the shoulders of all the delegation members who had not only made the long journey to Iceland, but had also worked for over three years to make their vision a reality. Because now it was clear: Val Gardena/Gröden will host the Alpine World Ski Championships in 2031 for the second time since 1970.

Professionalism and passion for ski sports are honored
“I have no words. It's just incredible. We have worked so hard over the past three years to realize this dream and have developed an extremely coherent concept that takes into account a wide variety of aspects such as innovation, inclusion, sustainability, sportiness, professionalism, our Ladin identity and many other points. And now this dream is a reality. I believe that our work, our first-class dossier and, above all, our passion for skiing have been recognized. We would like to thank the FIS for the vote of confidence and, as promised, we will do everything in our power to organize successful competitions in seven years' time,” said Rainer Senoner in an initial reaction.

A return to its natural home
Governor Arno Kompatscher, who joined the delegation and also intervened as a speaker in the final presentation, was clearly delighted with the successful outcome of the World Cup mission in Reykjavik. “This is of course a great joy - not only for Val Gardena/Gröden, but I think for the whole of South Tyrol. After 61 years, the Alpine World Ski Championships are returning to their natural home,” explained Kompatscher.

Wolkenstein's mayor Roland Demetz, who signed the World Championships contract together with FISI President Flavio Roda after the announcement, echoed this sentiment. “It's been a long road with a lot of work. I think that Val Gardena/Gröden deserves another edition some 60 years after the first World Championships. We have shown in the past with the World Cup that we can host top-level events and will now put our all into the 2031 World Championships.”

Flavio Roda, president of the Italian National Winter Sports Federation (FISI) said: “I am personally very happy because Val Gardena/Gröden has really earned this success. The bid was made for 2029, but the program was changed. That's why I think the 2031 World Championships are more than welcome. Now the team around Rainer Senoner has two more years to prepare for the championships, but I think Val Gardena will cut an excellent figure. We would like to thank everyone who has contributed to this success.”

In addition to Senoner, Kompatscher and Demetz, the Val Gardena/Gröden-South Tyrol delegation also included Provincial Councillor Daniel Alfreider, Christoph Senoner (Mayor of St. Christina), Cristina Pallanch (Mayor of Castelrotto), Christoph Vinatzer, Ambros Hofer, Ezio Prinoth (representing Val Gardena/Gröden Tourism), Andreas Schenk (representative of the Val Gardena/Gröden-Seiser Alm lift companies), Alex Vinatzer, Nicol Delago (World Cup athletes), Cecilia Miribung (personal advisor to the provincial governor), Igor Marzola, Marcello Cobelli, Moritz Demetz, Marta Covi, Julia Karbon, Alexia Demez, Evi Hilpold and Hannes Kröss (all Saslong Classic Club).

Overview of milestones for Val Gardena/Gröden-South Tyrol 2029 World Cup candidacy

• January 2021: Formation of the Val Gardena/Gröden task force, initial talks with all stakeholders
• February 2021: First talks with the Italian Winter Sports Federation FISI at the World Championships in Cortina
• April 2021: Start of preparation of bid documents
• September 2021: Victory in the national preliminary round against Sestriere (8:2 votes)
• January 2022: First discussions with stakeholders for input
• April 2022: Presentation of the bid logo
• May 2022: Start working on the dossier
• December 2022: Presentation of the bid at the Ski World Cup in Val Gardena/Gröden
• September 2023: Presentation of the dossier at the FIS Autumn Meeting in Zurich
• January 2024: Start of work on the bid film
• June 4, 2024: The 2031 World Championships come to Val Gardena/Gröden