Skiing in August? World Para Nordic event approaching
Six months from now, local sports history will be made when the city hosts the 2019 world para nordic skiing championships.
For 10 days in February, 140 athletes from more than 20 countries will descend on Otway Nordic Centre in pursuit of crosscountry and biathlon medals – the first-ever internationally sanctioned world championship sporting event for Prince George.
To get people engaged about the opportunity to see some of the world’s best athletes compete, many of whom were part of the 2018 Paralympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, the host Caledonia Nordic Ski Club is hosting a six-month-out celebration today at Canada Games Plaza starting at 12:15 p.m.
As part of the Foody Friday festivities, there will be live music, a chance to try out laser rifle biathlon shooting with Olympian Sarah Beaudry, the introduction of the world para nordic mascot and the unveiling of the championship medals.
Opportunities for volunteers and sponsors will also be highlighted at the event.
Mayor Lyn Hall will be on hand as the emcee. Other speakers at the ceremony will be Lheidli T’enneh elder Darlene Macintosh, Joel McKay of Northern Development Initiative Trust (NDIT), Annie Doran of Tourism PG and local organizing committee chair Kevin Pettersen.
“Six months out, the light is certainly at the end of the tunnel here,” said Pettersen.
“Things are really coming together nicely.”
Changes are already underway at Otway in advance of the world championships. Wheelchair ramps are being built and power doors are being installed at Rotary Lodge to facilitate accessibility. The look of the lodge has been significantly transformed with paving stones and permanent landscaping, a project funded by NDIT and the provincial government.
Snowmaking equipment will be installed in early September to complete the first phase of the Caledonia club’s longterm plan to become less dependent on natural snowfall.
“We’ve already got the well drilled which was the main piece and we just have to put the pipes and pumps in,” said Pettersen.
“The first phase will cover the stadium areas and nearby trails and we’ve just purchased a bigger grooming machine to push snow. Even though we don’t have snowmaking on the upper trails we should be able to move snow up there without any problems.
“Hopefully Mother Nature will still cooperate on the temperatures, but if she not giving us the precipitation when we need when we need it we’ll be able to make snow.”
Minus-20 C is the cutoff temperature for the races. If it’s any colder than that the races would be cancelled due to the potential for damaging the lungs of the athletes.
As long as its below freezing, snow can be made and the club will have a stockpile on hand in case it’s needed for the races, Feb. 15-24.
The para nordic championships include three disciplines of racing for biathlon and cross-country – sitting, standing and visually-impaired. Within those categories athletes will be grouped depending on each one’s level of disability, to be determined at the start of the season.
Pettersen said there is no limit on the number of athletes can send, as long as they meet qualifying criteria. Russia traditionally sends the largest team but due to economic sanctions Canada placed on that country in response to its illegal annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in March 2014, Pettersen says it’s unlikely a Russian team will compete in Prince George.
“By September we’ll know, but I don’t think we’ll be getting Russia,” said Pettersen.