This week marks arguably the busiest and most important one of the four-year cycle to the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games with the qualifying window set to slam shut on Sunday. Here we preview what’s happening.
World Cup leader Lizzy Yarnold and reigning world champion Shelley Rudman are certainly assured of representing Britain in skeleton in Russia but the next leg of the global series in Igls is crucial for teammate Rose McGrandle.
Kristan Bromley also appears to be hitting form at the right time in the men’s field while British No.1 pilot John Jackson will also be in Igls as he looks for a result in the two-man bobsleigh after a fine season so far in the four-man.
Britain’s figure skaters and short track speed skaters can rest easy having already been selected for Sochi 2014 but they’ll be looking to lay down a marker as the their respective European Championships, to be held in Budapest and Dresden.
There’s a big week of freestyle skiing with World Cup moguls and aerials in Val St. Come and Lake Placid, two ski-cross races in Val Thorens and slopestyle in Gstaad while the biathlon tour moves to Antholz-Anterselva.
Snowboarding enjoys an equally big week with World Cup halfpipe and slopestyle events in Stoneham as well as a big air competition, that discipline not yet on the Olympic programme but one that could feature in the future.
There’s also a parallel giant slalom in Rogla and three World Cup events in alpine skiing and ski jumping along with cross-country skiing in Szklarska Poreba in Poland and Nordic combined in Seefeld in Germany.
The luge World Cup remains in Germany with the tour moving from Oberhof to Altenberg while Nagano hosts speed skating’s World Sprint Championships a week after the European Allround Championships were held in Hamar.
Alpine Skiing
World Cup, Flachau, January 14
World Cup, Wengen, January 17-19
World Cup, Cortina d’Ampezzo, January 18-19
Biathlon
World Cup, Antholz-Anterselva, January 16-19
Bobsleigh
World Cup, Igls, January 17-19
Cross Country Skiing
World Cup, Szklarska Poreba, January 18-19
Figure Skating
European Championships, Budapest, January 15-19
Freestyle Skiing
World Cup, Val St Come, January 14 & 19
World Cup, Lake Placid, January 15 & 18
World Cup, Val Thorens, January 16-17
World Cup, Gstaad, January 17-18
Luge
World Cup, Altenberg, January 18-19
Nordic Combined
World Cup, Seefeld, January 17-19
Short Track Speed Skating
European Championships, Dresden, January 17-19
Skeleton
World Cup, Igls, January 17-18
Ski Jumping
World Cup, Wisla, January 16
World Cup, Zao, January 18-19
World Cup, Zakopane, January 18-19
Snowboarding
World Cup, Stoneham, January 16-19
World Cup, Rogla, January 18
Speed Skating
World Sprint Championships, Nagano, January 18-19
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