The Lauberhorn races took place for the 95th time last weekend. OC President Urs Näpflin talks about the record number of spectators and why it is still not possible to make a profit.
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- The three races on the Lauberhorn were a complete success. Fantastic weather attracted more ski fans to Wengen than ever before.
- OC President Urs Näpflin is delighted with the many spectators, but also says that the limit has now been reached.
- Despite record ticket sales, no profit can be made on the Lauberhorn - because the system in Switzerland is somewhat complicated.
"An absolutely fantastic weekend, it's hard to beat," says OC President Urs Näpflin on Sunday after the slalom on the Lauberhorn, the third and final race of a long ski weekend.
He can't remember a time when everything has gone so well together. The two accidents in the downhill on Saturday were the only downer, said Näpflin. The Austrian Vincent Kriechmayr crashed in the final S, but was lucky and only suffered a severe strain to his inner ligament. Frenchman Blaise Giezendanner had a worse fall, tearing his cruciate ligament and having to end his season.
It was also not easy on Saturday before the downhill: "We had the wind blowing at 145 km/h early in the morning. That's why we were delayed on the mountain." There was also some damage and some spectators were also delayed.
40,000 fans, three complaints
Of the 40,000 spectators who attended the race on Saturday, three complained by email about the delays: "We can live with that," says Näpflin, who nevertheless asks for understanding that things could not go any faster.
The 40,000 people who made the pilgrimage to the Lauberhorn for the race were a new record. For Näpflin, the limit has now been reached, as transportation alone is limited: "We almost didn't get the people up on Saturday." The number of people in the village in the evening was enormous. That's why the aim is not to attract even more people in the future: "The quality is what we have to try to improve in the future, but not to bring more people here."
The fact that the rush is so great at the moment is due to the strong results of Odermatt, von Allmen and Co: "It's absolutely fantastic what the athletes from Swiss Ski are offering. That was certainly one of the reasons why so many fans came to the Lauberhorn," Näpflin is certain. However, he does not believe that it will continue like this in the future: "At some point there will be a change and other nations will be in front. Then there might be a few fewer people at the Lauberhorn."
No windfall for the organizers
The weekend with the many fans is also lucrative from a financial point of view: "The income will be top, we already know that today," says Näpflin. After all, never before have so many tickets been sold as in the last three days. However, the organizers of the Lauberhorn will not receive a windfall because of this: "The system is a bit complicated in Switzerland. We are supported by the public sector, the federal government and the canton."
However, if a profit is reported, the public authorities reduce their contributions in return: "That's why we can at best be in the black. So we can't make any provisions for worse years," explains Näpflin. On the other hand, you also have the public sector in times when there is not so much income.
