Invermere to host 2015 Alpine Worlds

Following the conclusion of this year’s IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships, Invermere, Canada was announced as the host city for the event in 2015. 27 Feb 2013

Canada's Josh Dueck was part of an eight-strong team at the 2013 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships La Molina, Spain.

ⒸMarcus Hartmann

By IPC

“I am delighted to see winter para-sport flourishing in Canada, and this will bring it to another level outside of the Paralympic Games.”

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) announced on Wednesday (27 February) that the Panorama resort in Canada will host the 2015 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships in Invermere, British Columbia.

It will be the seventh edition of the IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships, and the announcement comes on the heels of a very successful 2013 World Championships in La Molina, Spain.

The 2015 Championships, to be organised by Alpine Canada, are expected to draw 120 athletes from 24 February – 4 March 2015, and will be one of several major para-sport competitions Canada hosts in the next few years, as the nation will also hold some IPC Alpine Skiing World Cup events.

The 2015 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships will follow a successful 2011-12 World Cup final event at Canada’s Panorama Resort, as well as the Vancouver 2010 Games, which IPC President Sir Philip Craven described as the best Winter Games ever.

Xavier Gonzalez, IPC Chief Executive Officer, said: “I am proud to announce Invermere as the host city for the 2015 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships following the great Paralympic Winter Games that Canada put on nearly three years ago and last year’s World Cup final.”

“I am delighted to see winter para-sport flourishing in Canada, and this will bring it to another level outside of the Paralympic Games.”

Alexandra Starker, Canadian three-time bronze medallist in La Molina, said: “I’m really looking forward to the Championships, as the slopes of British Columbia are where I grew up skiing.”

Viviane Forest, winner of one silver and one bronze for Canada, added: “It’s always an honour to have a major championships in your home country, and hopefully we can attract lots of people to come and cheer for us.

“The home support is always huge for athletes. I remember in Vancouver just to hear the home crowd and see people so into it was amazing.”

Alpine skiing proved to be the most popular sport among viewers at the Vancouver Games, garnering a total audience of more than 690 million, laying a solid foundation for a successful Invermere 2015 event in terms of media coverage.

The most recent World Championships in La Molina drew 118 athletes from 29 countries, who competed across six different disciplines. The IPC Alpine Skiing Sport Technical Committee has worked to bring hundreds of races into the competition schedule over the last several years to build up the sport to a truly elite level.

For more information on IPC Alpine Skiing, please visit http://www.paralympic.org/alpine-skiing.