(Reuters) – The 2022-23 season of the cross-country skiing World Cup will see men and women race across equal distances, the International Ski Federation (FIS) said on Wednesday.
The decision was passed following a vote during FIS’ cross-country committee meeting, with standardised distances for the upcoming season set at 10 km, 20 km, Skiathlon (10 km + 10 km) and 50 km.
Prior to Wednesday’s vote, the distances were 15 km, 30 km, Skiathlon (15 km + 15 km) and 50 km for men, while women competed in 10 km, 15 km, Skiathlon (7.5 km + 7.5 km) and 30 km.
“The question, if women and men are to race equal distances has been a very important topic for years and a prominent discussion building up to this year’s cross-country committee meetings as the decision was on the agenda,” FIS said https://www.fis-ski.com/en/cross-country/cross-country-news-multimedia/news/2021-22/updates-from-the-cross-country-committee-spring-meeting-2022.
“With 57%, the CCC voted for equal distances for women and men. A historical decision. The implementation will be effective from the upcoming World Cup season …
“The decision whether to implement it on World Ski Championships level will be discussed with all stakeholders and decided in May 2023.”
FIS added that distances for Junior and U23 World Ski Championships and Youth Olympic Games levels will also be equal.
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
