St. Anton am Arlberg Joins Elite 'Club 5' World Cup Venues

St. Anton am Arlberg Achieves Top-Tier World Cup Status

St. Anton am Arlberg has secured a position among the world's most prestigious ski racing venues. The FIS Congress in Vilamoura, Portugal, has approved the Austrian ski resort's admission to the 'Club 5', an exclusive group of top World Cup locations. This achievement strengthens St. Anton am Arlberg's campaign to host the 2033 World Championships.

The 'Club 5 – Ski Classics' was established in 1988 to promote and develop alpine ski racing. It began with five founding members: Val Gardena, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Kitzbühel, Wengen, and Val d'Isère. The club focuses on knowledge sharing and representing members' interests to the FIS and national ski associations. St. Anton am Arlberg now joins Kitzbühel and Schladming as the third Austrian ski region in this elite group.

Rainer Senoner, President of 'Club 5' and Race Director at Val Gardena, welcomed St. Anton am Arlberg, praising its tradition and the famous Arlberg Kandahar Races. Peter Mall, Organizing Committee Chairman of the Arlberg Kandahar Races, expressed pride in the recognition, viewing it as a boost for their 2033 World Ski Championships bid.

Christian Scherer, Chairman of the Board and Secretary General of the ÖSV, highlighted Austria's strong representation in 'Club 5' with three World Cup regions. He noted the ongoing developments at St. Christoph am Arlberg for international speed training and the new 'Ski Austria Academy', which aims to support various aspects of snow sports.

St. Anton am Arlberg, known for its challenging Karl Schranz slope, has over two decades of World Cup experience. The resort plans to leverage this expertise for a modern World Championship concept, building on the success of the 2001 event. This new status in 'Club 5' not only recognises St. Anton am Arlberg's significance in the ski racing world but also reinforces its position as a key player in global skiing.