Winter Games NZ next year is set to be the largest and most prestigious international snow sports event held in New Zealand and possibly the southern hemisphere with confirmation the Games will host at least five World Cups.

The programme will include FIS World Cup events in Snowboard Slopestyle, Snowboard Cross, Freestyle Ski Halfpipe, Freestyle Ski Slopestyle, as well as Snowboard Halfpipe. Three Super Continental Cups and seven Continental Cups will also feature in the competition.

Never before have so many World Cups been staged in a single event outside the Winter Olympics. With the event’s status as a qualifier for the Winter Olympics, six months later, and world rankings, it will attract the world’s best athletes.

The 2013 edition will run over 14 days from 12-25 August. The event also includes a full, off snow festival programme featuring an adventure film festival, live music and entertainment.

“The Winter Games NZ is a perfect legacy event for New Zealand. We own it, we shape it and we keep all the commercial rights,” said Sir Eion Edgar, Winter Games NZ chairman. “It is an event with international standing that will make a major social and economic contribution to the benefit of all New Zealanders.”

Amongst the 1,000 elite international athletes competing will be the highest ranked skiers and riders including Olympic and past World Cup gold medallists. Event organisers say that at least 30 competitors at Winter Games NZ 2013 will go on to win medals at the Winter Olympics 2014 in Sochi, Russia.

“The 2013 Winter Games will be a major step up from the previous two Winter Games. It is a bold move to go with five FIS World Cups and we are now waiting whether our two alpine ski racing events for the adaptive (disabled) skiers will also be World Cups. This would be wonderful for our Vancouver gold medallist, Adam Hall,” said Games chief executive, Arthur Klap.

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