Here comes the... “Grand Finale”: the concluding event of the Rollerski World Cup presented in Val di Fiemme

A press conference presenting the final World Cup stage for rollerskiing was held in a packed conference room at Trentino Marketing. The event is scheduled to take place in Val di Fiemme from 18 to 20 September.

Once again, the Trentino valley will host a decisive event in “summer cross-country skiing”, with three days of spectacular competition between Alpe Cermis and Ziano di Fiemme, featuring athletes representing 14 nations. Provincial Councillor for Sport Mattia Gottardi opened the series of speeches, reaffirming the Province’s support for the organising committee Nordic Ski Val di Fiemme: “It will be a weekend of great sport in Val di Fiemme.

Rollerskiing is a spectacular discipline that is growing considerably, and I believe this is also thanks to the Fiemme area, which has been investing in sport and Nordic disciplines since 1991. Our thanks therefore go to Nordic Ski Val di Fiemme. I wish our athletes, the committee and the entire valley a great weekend.”

Representing CONI, Provincial Committee president Paola Mora then took the microphone: “The numbers for rollerskiing continue to grow steadily. It is a discipline that is well suited to being hosted in built-up areas, where families and enthusiasts can watch the races without any effort. It is pleasing to see more and more nations investing in a discipline that has a true world capital in Val di Fiemme.”

The floor then went to Mauro Bonvecchio, elected president of the Trentino FISI Committee last July: “For years, Val di Fiemme has played a leading role in organising major events, while also showing great attention to disciplines that may have less media impact but are highly significant from a sporting perspective. Rollerskiing has been part of FISI since 2016, and over these ten years we have witnessed great growth among our athletes.

As many as seven Trentino athletes took part in the World Championships, an important figure that can only make us proud.”

On Friday 18 September, the curtain will immediately rise in grand style with the 10 km Classic Technique Mass Start, which will be held on the prestigious slopes of Alpe Cermis. Saturday 19 September will instead be devoted to the adrenaline-fuelled Sprints on Via Nazionale in Ziano di Fiemme, while the programme will conclude on Sunday 20 with the Team Sprints, also in Free Technique. The new challenge facing his team on the organisational side was presented by the president of Nordic Ski Val di Fiemme, Pietro De Godenz: “It will be an important three days, during which the crystal globes will be awarded. For us, it represents yet another final and another major event to experience with enthusiasm and determination.

Working as a group and as a team always produces results, and the work being carried out by our entire team is considerable. The contribution of the volunteers is equally fundamental: they are the true backbone of our area, making all this possible through their passion and commitment. After the Olympic Games in February, rollerskiing will launch another equally intense season, in which all of us will be involved with even greater dedication, enthusiasm and passion.”

After winning two medals at last weekend’s World Championships in Latvia, Rovereto native Maria Eugenia Boccardi spoke about the event: “I am very happy with how the World Championships went. The level was truly high, with athletes who also compete in the Cross-Country Skiing World Cup.

It was an important experience and a great challenge. Now the goal is to finish on the podium in the overall World Cup standings, and I believe the Cermis Mass Start could be a good opportunity to try.” It is an opportunity Giovanni Lorenzetti, who is coming off fourth place in the World Championship Team Sprint, also does not want to miss: “I arrived at the World Championships in good shape, but unfortunately I had to settle for the wooden medal. The level was extremely high and the field was packed with great champions, including several Olympic athletes.

Despite the result, however, I am still happy with the progress I made and the sensations I had during the season. I am already looking ahead to the Fiemme Mass Start with confidence: I feel better prepared and more aware of my abilities, and I want to make the most of all my opportunities.” “The goal is to win the Sprint,” declared Italian champion and recent world silver medallist Michele Valerio. “It will not be easy, but performing well at our home event will be important, and for this reason I will give it everything.”

For Val di Fiemme, the concluding rollerskiing event will only be the first of many events scheduled during an intense winter season, as Cristina Bellante, the committee’s general manager, explains: “This year, as Nordic Ski Val di Fiemme, we have also committed to collaborating on youth events, alongside the Dolomitica and Cornacci clubs of Tesero. The first event will take place from 15 to 18 October with the FESA Alpen Cup, a youth circuit for Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined, while on 31 October we will host the Italian Senior and Youth Championships in Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined, also an opportunity to test the new hybrid ski jumping hills proposed by the FIS.

After that come the Nordic Combined World Cup from 11 to 13 December, the men’s FIS Continental Cup in Ski Jumping on 19 and 20 December, and the 21st Tour de Ski, scheduled for 8 to 10 January 2027.”