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FIS Cross-Country World Cup
Genre Cross-country skiing
Date(s) Northern wintertime season
BeginsNovember
EndsMarch
Location(s) Europe
Canada
United States (rare)
Japan (rare)
China (rare)
South Korea (rare)
Inaugurated1973 (1973) (unofficial - men)
1978 (1978) (unofficial - women)
9 January 1982 (9 January 1982) (men & women)
Previous event 2023–24 FIS Cross-Country World Cup
Next event 2024–25 FIS Cross-Country World Cup
Organised by International Ski Federation
PeopleMichel Lamplot (race director) [1]
Simon Caprini (asst. race director) [1]
Sponsor Coop Norway, [2] Audi e-tron [3]

The FIS Cross-Country World Cup is an annual cross-country skiing competition, arranged by the International Ski Federation (FIS) since 1981. The competition was arranged unofficially between 1973 and 1981, although it received provisional recognition on the 31st FIS Congress, 29–30 April 1977 in Bariloche, Argentina. [4]

The first World Cup races were held on 9 January 1982 and were located in Reit im Winkl, West Germany and Klingenthal, East Germany. Bill Koch of the United States and Berit Aunli of Norway were the overall winners in the first season.

Rules

Competitors attempt to achieve the most points during the season. They compete in two disciplines: Distance and Sprint. Current Distance races are mostly 10 km, 20 km, Skiathlon and 50 km for the men and women. [5] The competitions are held with either individual start or mass start and either classic or free technique. In Sprint races, athletes are organised in heats based on their results in a prologue where the 30 fastest skiers qualify for the sprint's quarter-finals. [6] The 12 best skiers in the quarter-finals advance to the semi-finals and the 6 best skiers in the semi-finals advance to the final. Sprint races are maximum 1.8 kilometres and are competed in either classic or free technique.

In ordinary World Cup races, 100 points are awarded to the winner, 95 for second place, 90 for third place, winding down to 1 point for 50th place. In Stage World Cup races; Tour de Ski, World Cup Final and mini-tours, 50 points are awarded to the winner, 47 for second place, 44 for third place, winding down to 1 point for 30th place. The overall winners of the Stage World Cup events are awarded 300 points for Tour de Ski victory and 200 points for an overall win in the World Cup Final or a mini-tour. The athlete with the most points at the end of the season in mid-March wins the Overall World Cup, with the trophy consisting of a 9 kilogram crystal globe. [7] Sub-prizes are also awarded to the winners of the Sprint World Cup and the Distance World Cup, with a smaller 3.5 kg crystal globe.

Races are hosted primarily in Europe, with regular stops in the Nordic countries and Central Europe. A few races have also been held in North America and Asia. World Cup competitions have been hosted in 23 countries around the world: Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Czechoslovakia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Norway, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Soviet Union, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States. (Note that all World Cup races hosted in Bosnia were held when it was still part of Yugoslavia.)

The World Cup usually follows a November-March schedule, effectively ruling out hosting races in the southern hemisphere, for example in Argentina or New Zealand. Additionally, races have yet to be hosted in the Central Asia- Himalayas region.

Overall World Cup standings

The table below shows the three highest ranked skiers each year.

Rank Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total
1   Norway 38 35 36 109
2   Sweden 11 12 11 34
3   Finland 9 6 11 26
4   Russia 8 13 8 29
5   Soviet Union 8 4 4 16
6   Germany 4 2 6
7   Switzerland 4 1 2 7
8   Poland 4 1 1 6
8   Italy 3 4 9 16
9   United States 3 3 2 8
11   Czech Republic 1 3 2 6
12   Kazakhstan 1 3 1 5
13   Spain 1 1 2
14   CIS 1 2 3
15   Canada 2 2 4
16   Estonia 2 2
17   Czechoslovakia 1 3 4
18   Slovenia 1 1 2
19   Austria 1 1
19   France 1 1
21   Ukraine 1 1
  • With six overall World Cup titles Bjørn Dæhlie is record-holder among both men and women.

Sprint World Cup standings

Rank Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total
1   Norway 31 28 18 77
2   Sweden 12 2 11 25
3   Slovenia 4 2 2 8
4   Italy 3 9 4 16
5   United States 3 2 5
6   Finland 1 2 4 7
7   France 1 1 3 5
8   Poland 1 1 2
9   Russia 4 3 7
10   Switzerland 2 2
11   Germany 1 2 3
12   Czech Republic 1 1 2
13   Estonia 2 2
14   Canada 1 1
15   Kazakhstan 1 1

Distance World Cup standings