“That Aspen was able to pull off X Games Aspen 2021 was likely seen favorably by the FIS to replace the World Championships that were on the calendar in China and later Canada, both of which were scratched for pandemic-related reasons.”
Aspen has a ton of work to do in a short amount of time but luckily they just hosted a highly successful Winter X Games event and are well acquainted with pulling off a world class competition in the midst of a global Pandemic. Aspen Daily News reports Aspen Skiing Co. has officially confirmed Aspen will host the FIS World Championships for the first time since 1950. They were originally planned to be held in Zhangjiakou, China but tightening travel restrictions proved too big an obstacle and the location was changed to Colorado. The events will go from March 10-16 and will include halfpipe, slopestyle and big air for men and women, skiers and snowboarders. Usually there’s years of planning that go into hosting a giant event like this but that isn’t an option for 2021:
“Typically we would have five years to plan for a World Championships. We’re going to have four weeks, and it’s going to be a fun four weeks. We are working in concert with our partners from the county and the health department toward an agreed-upon safety plan that will allow us to pull this exciting event off in a safe manner, just like X.” –Aspen Skiing Co. Senior VP John Rigney
Monumental task to get squared away in this abbreviated time window to host around 300 of the best skiers and snowboarders in the world to see who’s best. Order up some extra cases of Red Bulls and dress warm…World Championships preparation speed mode engage!
