World Cup hopes now history

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 6, Issue 283, 18 April 1989, Page 1

World Cup hopes now history

Turoa's hopes of running a World Cup ski race event in 1991 are now at an end.

Sponsorship for this year's FIS series, $200,000 worth, was not met so those races will not now be run at Turoa. He said that there" was now no hope of running the races at Turoa this year despite having raised $110,000 from sponsors. A World Cup event had been unofficially assigned to New Zealand and Turoa for 1991 but part of the criteria of the International Ski Federation (FIS) for such events is the successful running of FIS races over a number of years. Last year's series of, the men's slalom and giant slalom races was a success, but the cost

to Turoa was about $114,000 in actual expenditure and up to $155,000 when staff time is taken into account, said Turoa Ski School Director John Ball. Last year's sponsor, BP, is putting its money towards the 1990 Commonwealth games and has none available for skiing this year, he said. He said it was now too late to organise the event without assurances that the money was available and that New Zealand Ski Fields was not in a position to underwrite the event. There were "plenty of teams" applying to come to this year's FIS

races, all hoping to use the event as preparation for the World Cup series at Thredbo, Australia, said Mr Ball. FIS racing will still take place this year in New Zealand with the women's Super G, giant slalom and slalom pencilled in for Mt Hutt in September. Mr Ball said if another ski area was able to underwrite

the men's event it too could take place somewhere in New Zealand. Mr Ball said such events were too costly for one ski area alone to underwrite, while they were good for tourism as a whole. He said after two bad snow years the New Zealand ski industry was "very sick", and for FIS and World Cup events to

run Government support was needed. Turoa's chances of running a World Cup event will now be delegated indefinitely said Mr Ball. "They won't take our bid seriously," he said. $600,000 would be needed for a World Cup series in New Zealand, said Mr Ball.