Four Hills Tournament tickets sell-out

Article posted by Coliseum, October 2^nd, 2020

Image: Skisport- und Veranstaltungs GmbH

Though COVID-19 see-saw is on in Europe, the ski jumping – the traditional Four Hills Tournament – will in all probability take place this season. On Thursday, ticket sales for the opening jump began and though limited tickets were sold it was a total sellout. For the rest of the fixtures, tickets are not being sold as yet.

The Four Hills Tournament or the German-Austrian Ski Jumping Week is a ski jumping event comprising four World Cup events and takes place in Germany and Austria every year since 1953.

For this season, it is likely to take place between December 28^th, 2020, and January 6^th, 2021, at the four traditional venues of Oberstdorf, Garmisch-Partenkirchen (Germany), Innsbruck (Austria), and Bischofshofen (Austria).

Ticket sales for the 69^th Four Hills Tournament began on October 1^st, 2020, with limited tickets being sold. However, the 2,500 tickets for the opening fixture in Oberstdorf (Germany) sold like hot cakes. At the other event sites – Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Innsbruck and Bischofshofen, advance booking still remains suspended.

“In concert with the German Ski Association, the local health authorities and also few personnel from our Medicine Department have developed a viable concept which would enable an audience of 2,500 to attend our opening event amid the coronavirus environment,” informed Dr Peter Kruijer, Chairman, Oberstdorf Ski Club and President of the organizing committee for the opening competition.

One thing is for sure – due to the strick coronavirus rules in place which includes social distancing, only seating facilities will be available in the World Cup ski jumping arena and all tickets will have to be personalized. If, due to fresh official regulations, no spectators are allowed to enter the facility on qualification or competition day in Oberstdorf, the ticket holders will be reimbursed the basic ticket price.

At the other event locations too, the organizers are working flat out on a coronavirus-compatible event concept.

“The top priority is the successful staging of the tour as a highlight of winter sports, that is an absolute challenge,” stated tour President Johann Pichler from Bischofshofen.

Added Pichler, “The tour entourage has to be prepared for severe restrictions. Normally, we have up to 7,000 accredited people for a tour, but due to the current coronavirus pandemic, this number will be reduced to a maximum of 1,500 people. This is the only way we can adhere to the social distancing rules at all locations. The restrictions will apply for all areas, i.e., teams, officials, volunteers, and also for both electronic and print media people.”

For the New Year’s ski jumping in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, the organizers are mulling on ticket sales at the last moment – “I am convinced that the fans will still be happy to make use of a possible conditional ticket in December,” asserted Michael Maurer, Chairman, Partenkirchen Ski Club.

In Austria, the Austrian Ski Association will decide in mid-October at the earliest whether and to what extent tickets for its skiing events will be available in advance – “That is not a problem for us, because experience has shown that people in Innsbruck and Bischofshofen tend to plan at short notice,” averred Alfons Schranz, Chairman, Organizing Committee for the Bergisel Ski Jump in Innsbruck.

The Bergisel Ski Jump, whose stadium can pack in a crowd of 26,000, is a ski jumping hill located at Bergisel in Innsbruck, Austria. It is one of the important venues in the International Ski Federation (FIS) Ski Jumping World Cup (the world’s highest level of ski jumping), annually hosting the third competition of the prestigious Four Hills Tournament.

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