Audi is the main sponsor of the World Cup. The Nordic Combined discipline now numbers among those held under the Audi flag – complementing the long-standing commitment and close cooperation with the Fédération Internationale de Ski (FIS). Audi has already been giving its name to the FIS Ski World Cup and the FIS Ski Cross World Cup and, in addition, will be presenting the next two FIS Alpine Ski World Championships in 2015 and 2017.
In Germany and other countries, Audi has been partnering with the Nordic Combined skiers for many years. For the athletes, the partnership can provide an important advantage in the competition. At the Audi wind tunnel, the ski jumpers simulate longer airborne phases and have the opportunity to take their time and work on their approach and flight assisted by expert video analysis.
The 2013/2014 World Cup season kicks off in Kuusamo, Finland, at the end of November and will subsequently take the athletes to eleven other venues in Europe and Russia until the finale next March. The new ‘Nordic Combined Triple’ competition format is a highlight. It aggregates the results of three competitions held on a single weekend – each result consisting of the jumping distance and cross- country kilometers. The premiere will be held in Seefeld (Austria) from January 17 to 19, 2014.
The reigning World Cup winner is 24-year-old Eric Frenzel from Germany, who just visited the Ingolstadt wind tunnel with the DSV team. “The airborne feeling can absolutely be compared to that on a ski jumping hill,” says the two-time World Champion.