Grandvalira officially presented the Alpine Skiing World Cup this morning at the headquarters of Crèdit Andorrà. The act was presided over by the Right Hon. Mr. Josep Mandicó, the Mayor of Canillo and the President of the Organizing Committee. He was accompanied by the Mr. Francesc Camp, the Minister for Tourism and Commerce for the Principality of Andorra; Mr. Xavier Cornella, the managing director of Crèdit Andorrà; Mr. Albert Coma, the president of the Andorran Ski Federation (FAE); Mr. Conrad Blanch, the managing director of the competition's Organizing Committee and Mr. Alfonso Torreño, Grandvalira's marketing director.
Grandvalira will become the center of the alpine skiing world this season, on February 27 and 28. For the second time, FIS (International Ski Federation) has entrusted the Andorran ski resort with hosting one of the World Cup circuits; the resort first welcomed the event back in 2012.
Conrad Blanch, the managing director of the Grandvalira World Cup, said that they aimed to “continue strengthening Grandvalira and Andorra’s position as an elite destination, placing them on the same level as other world cup-organizing destinations.” Blanch also highlighted that one of the main objectives will be to “repeat involvement of the entire country, just like in 2012.” During his speech, Mr. Blanch explained the composition of the honorary committee and the organizing committee, and also gave details on the competition's logistics and technical information, highlighting the fact that hosting the Combined Alpine event, in addition, enables live TV broadcasting. He also emphasized the top quality hotels available in Andorra, as well as the first-class services for sports people.
Alfonso Torreño, Grandvalira's Director of Marketing and Communications , defined the communication strategies aimed at boosting Grandvalira as a ski destination and reiterated that the event's media coverage is expected to be over the 48 million Euros and 75 million viewers achieved by the 2012 competition. Mr. Torreño stated that the competition’s message would continue to evolve under the slogan “The World Cup is here”, showcasing Andorra as a snow destination with the ability to successfully organize similar sporting events, as highlighted by FIS during the last edition of the World Cup in Andorra. This year, apart from emphasizing Grandvalira's the sporting spirit and organizational experience, as well as its cutting-edge infrastructure, communications seek to involve the local population as much as possible in the event and increase the media impact abroad to achieve worldwide recognition.
The FAE was represented by its president, Albert Coma, who declared that “this year, the Federation’s hopes are placed on Mimi Gutierrez, who is focused on bringing down her slalom points to place her in the top 30.” Nonetheless, Coma made it clear that anything is possible, as other names such as Sara Ramentol and Carmina Pallàs are also in the running depending on the season’s results.
Mr. Francesc Camp, the Minister for Tourism and Commerce for the Principality of Andorra, pointed out the top-level sporting calendar in Andorra has a hectic pace. He said that this was possible thanks to the efforts of many people around the country and the positive assessments from the international federations. Camp highlighted the joy of Andorra being the World Cup host once again and thanked Crèdit Andorrà for their collaboration in making it possible. Finally, he reiterated that the ultimate goal is to grow in the international snow market and to get everyone involved, from sports people to spectators.
Mr. Josep Mandicó, the Mayor of Canillo and the president of the Organizing Committee, explained that “we always demand the best from ourselves.” He explained that this sentiment was evidenced by the “warm welcome the Andorran people offers visitors and the top-level services, as well as the enthusiasm, dedication and participation shown by everyone, from volunteers to the teams themselves.”
Finally, Mr. Xavier Cornella, the managing director of Crèdit Andorrà, noted that “once again we’ve achieved our dream of hosting another world cup,” and that the trust the FIS had placed in Andorra “allows us to put our skiing resorts on the map as a world-class snow destination with international recognition and a high turnover.”