Winter sports: Ski jumping: DSV takes off to tour ticket sales

The World Cup victories of the ski jumpers Richard Freitag and Andreas Wellinger have sold their tickets for the 66th World Cup. Four Hills Tournament once again.

“There’s a great rush everywhere. Compared to previous years, we are currently selling more tickets than ever before,”said tour president Michael Maurer.

Almost four weeks before the start in Oberstdorf (30. December) Friday and Wellinger lead the overall World Cup standings. Both had each celebrated a victory last weekend in Nizhny Tagil.

“If the DSV eagles now also win in Titisee-Neustadt, then the hype really starts,”said Peter Kruijer, chairman of the Oberstdorf ski club. A team competition (Saturday) and a single competition (Sunday) take place in Titisee on the weekend.

Even the sporty upgraded qualifications on the day before the actual competition prove to be a magnet for spectators during the tour. In Oberstdorf on 29. December, more than 15,000 fans are expected for the first time.

During the Four Hills Tournament the jumping competitions in Oberstdorf (30. December), Garmisch-Partenkirchen (1. January), Innsbruck (4. January) and Bischofshofen (6. January) on the programme. The last German overall winner was Sven Hannawald in the 2001/2002 season, when he was the only ski jumper to win all four competitions.