14.1.2022

The organisers of ČEZ Jizerská 50 are prepared for various race formats, all of which include the participation of amateur skiers

No one wants last year's scenario to happen again when the best-known Czech race, ČEZ Jizerská 50, took place without amateur participants. That is why the organisers are discussing the situation with representatives of the National Sports Agency (NSA) and the Regional Hygienic Organisation in Liberec. They also have strong support from the Czech Ski Association. What’s the situation with the negotiations right now?

“We are closely monitoring the current situation regarding the omicron variant and we are not underestimating anything. We are negotiating with the chairman of the National Sports Agency, Filip Neusser, about possible scenarios for the organisation of the ČEZ Jizerská 50. He is consulting the detailed organisation documents with representatives of the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic, specifically with Minister Vlastimil Válek,” says Petr Lešek from Raul, the organising agency, and adds “The documents for a safe organisation of the race that we have prepared have been received positively and under the current conditions it would be possible to organise the race in a format very close to the one in 2020.”

The organisers feel supported by the Minister of Health, Prof. Vlastimil Válek, who mentioned in the media that he did not want to drastically limit Jizerská 50 and he was communicating with representatives of both culture and sport. Similarly, the chairman of the NSA, Filip Neusser, who is in close contact with the organisers of Jizerská 50, considers this event to be one of the highlights of this winter, which should not be scrapped.

Under the current conditions, which allow the participation of up to 1,000 competitors in one start wave, it would be possible to preserve the classic 3-day programme and stick to the date of February 11-13, 2022. Individual races would take place according to the current program, as none of the start waves exceeds the limit of 1,000 participants. First and foremost, the organisers observe all the safety and hygienic guidelines, such as disinfectants in the whole backstage area, obligatory respirators in the backstage of the race, checking participants’ temperature and other measures that guarantee the safe organisation of the whole weekend.

There are also specific conditions under which the competitors are allowed to start in the race, at the moment the so- called O-N model is in force, which means that only those participants who have a valid certificate proving vaccination or past disease (no more than 180 days from the positive test) or who meet one of the exceptions can start.

“The health and safety of all participants and organisers is our top priority, so we are prepared to observe every measure. Jizerská 50 will be a safe race for all participants and we will strictly follow the guidelines that will be in force at the time. We are also prepared for a race format of waves with less than 1,000 skiers,” says Petr Lešek.

The organisers are also looking at examples from abroad, including the Italian format of the famous Marcialonga which will take place on 30 January and include amateur skiers. In Italy, the daily infections rate is around 200,000. “If it’s possible to organise such a big race as Italian Marcialonga, we are sure that we can also manage a reasonable and safe model in the Czech Republic at Jizerská 50," concludes Lešek. A thorough preparation and observing the hygienic and safety measures is a way for the organisers to get back on track and to celebrate this important sporting holiday in cross-country skiing together.