ISU Speed Skating Champs comes to Ritten Mountain

For the second time since 2007 the world’s fastest open air skating oval at Klobenstein is hosting the Essent ISU European Speed Skating Championships taking place from 7th to 9th January 2011.

Innsbruck was the original venue with the competition scheduled for the same dates, though the city had to withdraw in February due to financial difficulties. In March Ritten offered to step in, and its candidacy was accepted. Under the direction of its long-standing president Siegfried Wolfsgruber, the Ritten OK sport association has managed to meet all the prerequisites for making the European Championships another great success.

The OK president Siegfried Wolfsgruber; the mayor of the Municipality of Ritten, Paul Lintner; the president of the Italian Ice Sports Federation, Giancarlo Bolognini; Luciano Tava, member of the Italian Ice Sports Federation; Christian Trettl, president of the regional Ice Sports Federation; and the consultant for ice speed skating in the regional branch of the Ice Sports Federation, Peter Wachtler, have given a presentation of the important event on the Ritten mountain at a press conference held in Bolzano’s Hotel Laurin.

Numerous guests of honour took part in the press conference including the double Olympic Gold Medallist at Vancouver and multiple world champion Martina Sablikovà from the Czech Republic and her trainer Petr Novak; the double Olympic Gold Medallist at Turin, Enrico Fabris from Italy and his trainer Gianni Romme, the new trainer of the Dutch national team; the South Tyrolean president of the Olympic Committee Heinz Gutweniger; the deputy mayor of the Municipality of Ritten, Andreas Fraccaro; and the vice-president responsible for speed skating in the Italian Ice Sports Federation, Sergio Anesi.

"Our European Championship event has attracted enormous media attention. 80 journalists have been accredited, while twelve TV channels will cover the event with their own cameras, including the German ZDF and the Dutch private channel NOS. A private TV producer will take care of the TV recordings”, reports the head of the OK association Siegfried Wolfsgruber. Wolfsgruber adds: "Over 100 volunteers will ensure that the three days of competitions run smoothly.

There is a great willingness to help among the inhabitants of the Ritten mountain, especially the young. By contrast with the first European Championships organised at Klobenstein, this time the new sports building will be available, enabling us to do a far more professional job compared with four years ago. We need a marquee, various stands and containers for the medals. The event is being supported financially by the International Skating Union (ISU), the Italian Ice Sports Federation (FISG), the Municipal Council of Ritten, the South Tyrolean Provincial Government and the Departments for Sport and Business, the ‘Ritten Sun Plateau’, private sponsors and admission fees. We are expecting around 5,000 spectators, two-thirds of them from the Netherlands. Germans, Italians and local people will make up the majority of the other third. We expect up to 2,500 spectators each day”.

“We are convinced that the Ritten OK association under the direction of Siegfried Wolfsgruber is eminently qualified to organise such an important sports event given the wealth of experience they can draw on in staging similar important fixtures in the past”, opines Giancarlo Bolognini, president of the Italian Ice Sports Federation. He continues: “In Italy we have two ice speed skating facilities at present, one in Baselga di Pinè, the other in Collalbo [Klobenstein]. The Oval on the Ritten mountain is perfectly suited for hosting major speed skating competitions”.

According to the mayor of the Municipality of Ritten, Paul Lintner: "The Ice Speed Skating European Championships rank among the other top sports events taking place this winter in South Tyrol, including the FIS World Cup Downhill, Giant Slalom and Super-G races in Val Gardena and Val Badia, and the FIS Biathlon World Cup in the Antholz Valley. The pictures of the event featuring a chocolate-box winter landscape and the nearby Dolomites beamed into homes all over the world are bound to raise the profile of Ritten as a tourist destination”.

"70 athletes from 20 countries are taking part in the European Championships”, reports Luciano Tava, board member of the Italian Ice Sports Federation. He continues: “The number of athletes competing from each country is determined by the ISU. In the individual countries the athletes must compete in elimination competitions to qualify for the European Championships”.

Peter Wachtler, board member of the regional branch of the Ice Sports Federation: "The European Championships will take place over four distances – 500, 1,500, 5,000 and 10,000 metres for the men, and 500, 1,500, 3,000 and 5,000 metres for the women. The lime-free water, the excellent head of the ice maintenance team and the increased curve radius are factors which combine to make the ice surface extremely fast. We can expect two or three open air speed records – perhaps even five - during the European Championships”.

Christian Trettl, president of the local branch of the Italian Ice Sports Federation, enthuses: "We have a full and varied supporting programme. A marquee will be erected in the Ritten Arena in which the opening celebrations will take place on 6th January, followed by entertainment. On Friday evening the programme includes the ‘Owl Party’. Then on Saturday following the ice hockey match between Ritten and the Pustertal the well-known group ‘Volxrock’ will play live, as will the Dutch background music band the ‘The Glasblazers’. In addition, like four years ago there will be shop window competition.

After all, the European Speed Skating Championships are also intended to appeal to spectators from South Tyrol”. Consequently special prices and conditions are on offer to local people. Admission for holders of the following tickets, subscriptions and vouchers costs 5 euro for the B stand and 10 euro for the A stand: Dolomiten Vorteilskarte, subscription+, subscription 60+, the Ritten mobility card, the Rittner Horn and Ortler Skiarena season ticket, the Rittner Bötl voucher. In addition admission is free for children aged under twelve. The Ritten mobility card is new and includes all means of public transport on the Ritten mountain (buses from Bozen/Bolzano, the Ritten cable car, the Ritten narrow track railway). The slogan: enjoy a day with the family on the Ritten mountain. The adventure begins with a trip in the new Ritten cable car followed by a ride on the quaint narrow track railway, followed by the day’s highlight, the Essent ISU European Speed Skating Championships. Return by railway and cable car by 11pm at the latest.

Numerous world class athletes are busy preparing for the Essent ISU European Speed Skating Championships on the Ritten Ice Rink, including the Italian national team headed by Enrico Fabris, the Czech national team including the two-time Olympic gold medallist Martina Sablikovà, the Russian national team with their title contender Iwan Skobrew, as well as the Dutch Olympic champion Ireen Wüst. At the press conference held in Bozen/Bolzano Enrico Fabris stated: “I have fond memories of the first European Championships held on the Ritten mountain in 2007 where I won Silver and narrowly missed Gold.

I hope to be on top form for the European Championships. Due to Gianni Romme’s new training programme I was not yet at my best competing in the World Cup. I hope to win a medal in the European Championships, perhaps even the title”. The Italian national team will stay in their training camp on the Ritten mountain until the Italian Championships on 18th and 19thDecember.  According to Martina Sablikovà: “Ritten is my second home. I like the people, the mountains and the views”. Sablikovà will continue training in Klobenstein until 21st December, after which she will travel home for Christmas for a week, then return to Klobenstein on 28th December to continue training for the European Championships. 

 

Friday, 7th January 2011       1pm:           Men’s 500 meters, Men’s 5,000 metres

Saturday, 8th January 2011  12pm:         Women’s 500 metres, Men’s 1,500 metres,

                                                                     Women’s 3,000 metres

Sunday, 9th January 2011      12pm:       Women’s 1,500 metres, Men’s 10,000 metres,

                                                                     Women’s 5,000 metres