2015/16 Ski Season New RulesThe 2015/16 ski season has already begun in various locations across the Northern Hemisphere. As the sport of skiing continues to improve, the International Ski Federation has released new competition rules this year. What exactly has been modified? Let’s explore this further in the following text.
Competition Group Selection System
Last season, a new group selection system was introduced in Lahti, Finland, and Drammen, Norway. During the quarterfinals, participating athletes could choose their own group numbers. In this cross-country skiing season, the Cross-Country Ski Committee has decided to continue using this system, while the previous older system will also remain in use during competitions. As for which version of the selection system will be ultimately chosen, a decision will be made next spring after evaluation.
Traditional Skiing Techniques
To preserve traditional skiing techniques and ensure fairness in competitions, the rule-making and management panel has decided to refine the redefinition of traditional techniques.
On fixed-course skiing: When competing on a specific course, repeatedly changing routes or skiing in and out will be considered a violation.
Assistant referee panel and athlete opinions: When issuing penalties for violations of traditional technique rules, if at least two assistant referee members point out the same foul, the judge may directly determine it as a violation without reviewing video footage or considering the athlete’s appeal.
Suspension
When an athlete receives a written warning from the organizing committee, they will be automatically suspended for one race.
Individual Race Starting Order
To meet the needs of television broadcasting and quickly present each athlete’s performance to the audience, the competition committee has introduced new rules for the starting order of individual races. First, all participants will be divided into the following four groups as per regulations:
" Group 1: Seed group, selecting the top 15 best-performing athletes based on individual past results.
" Group 2: Excluding seed athletes, selecting the top 30 high-performing athletes according to the FIS points list.
" Group 3: Excluding athletes from Group 1 and 2, selecting the top 15 athletes according to the FIS points list.
" Group 4: The remaining participants
If the number of participating athletes is less than 60, the size of Group 2 will be reduced accordingly. Once grouping is completed, the specific starting order will follow these rules:
" Group 2 starts first: Athletes will start in reverse order based on their FIS competition points.
" Groups 1 and 3: Seed athletes in Group 1 will start at one-second intervals based on a randomly drawn order. Group 3 will start at the same time as the seed athletes, in reverse order based on points.
" Group 4: After the seed group athletes have started, athletes will begin in order based on their FIS points.
The starting order for the seed group can be chosen by their coaches the night before the race. Among the top five athletes, the highest-ranked may choose to start fifth in order to observe the positions of potential competitors. Athletes ranked 6–15 will select their starting order based on their own points.
(Source: I Want to Ski Network)