In Innsbruck postponed the installation of headlights on Bergesisl
The organizers of one of the four jumping competitions of the New Year’s tour in Innsbruck had to postpone plans to install artificial lighting in Bergesla due to incisions in the budget of the Austrian federal government. The first performance of the New Year’s ski jumping tour, which was planned in the 2026/27 season, is in question.
At the beginning of the year, the organizers announced a plan for the installation of artificial lighting at the Bergisel Olympic jump. The update is crucial for the announced four jumping tournament for women, which is to make their debut in the 2026/27 season after the merger of the men’s and women’s World Cup calendar.
“There is currently a process of consent of the investment with the State Commissioner for Environmental Protection, and then we will immediately publish a call for proposals and set a construction schedule. However, we cannot guarantee that the installation of the headlamps will be completed before 2026, « explained the Director General of the Austrian Ski Association in January Christian Scherer.
According to the Tiroler Diary, the cost of installing artificial lighting in Bergisis is estimated at 4.5 million euros. The Austrian Ski Association and the city of Innsbruck are expected to cover each one sixth of the amount, and the rest of the investment is expected to be paid in equal parts from Austrian federal and Tyrol provinces.
In the end, the Federal Government withdrew from the financing of the investment to reduce the budget. As a result, the whole plan to set up lighting on the Innsbruck jump was stalled. « It is true that the project, in cooperation with the Ministry of Sport, was temporarily postponed – for at least one year – » the Austrian Association confirmed.
The Austrian Federation is not satisfied with the delay in the Bergisel project. Tickets for the final competition of the New Year’s Tour of the four jumps in Innsbruck were sold out for the first time in nine years. On the other hand, it was most often in the Tyrol capital that the match was canceled. Artificial lighting would increase the chances of running competitions, not only for men but also for women.
« It should be noted that without a modern light risk solution associated with the organization of the tour, both men and maybe women, in Bergisl in Innsbruck, they are considered to be too high, » the Austrian Association stated at skijumping.pl.
The Austrian Federation has already informed their partners of the tour-Oberstdorf, Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Bischofshofen-that it would be necessary to find another location in Austria for the women’s competition, because the reflectors in Bergisl will not be done in time. It is unknown for now whether the first women’s New Year’s tour will really make their debut in the 2026/27 Polling season.
