We Read Through 176 Pages Of Fresh FIS Bulletin

We Read Through 176 Pages Of Fresh FIS Bulletin

Money & Finance, Newsfeed
The International Ski Federation ( FIS) has published its biannual Bulletin. We read trough its 176 pages so you don't have to. If you do , however, here's a link Here's what we gleaned: - FIS continues to emphasize effort that went into development and upkeep of the FIS App for “fans and stakeholders alike”. The said app ( and we presume all reading this have already downloaded & are using it) allows real-time monitoring of all FIS events and races, including cross country skiing. There were circa 300.000 app downloads in total since its launch some 2 years ago Fair to say that that's the best gauge of the size of active audience of all sports under FIS umbrella. No breakdown per sport was provided. - Next important bit…
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Gambling And Skiing: Immoral Combo Or Great  Source Of Income?

Gambling And Skiing: Immoral Combo Or Great Source Of Income?

Money & Finance, Newsfeed
There are not many controvercies in the international cross country skiing – the debate storms that rock, say, NFL thanks to Colin Kaepernick kneeling, are virtually unheard of. But things might be changing in some respect. Charlotte Kalla made headlines this spring when she went public with her dislike for gambling. A triple Olympic champion went on record to say that "There is such a level of abuse - and the gambling companies, they must take their share of responsibility for that." A 31 year old pointed out that her own psychologist Thomas Nilsson's works with gambling addicted clients and listening to him convinced her even further. "His profession has influenced my attitude and knowledge about it. Just as with other dependencies, so many people are affected" Kalla, who is one…
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Norwegian Stars: What Do They Earn. And Why Do We Care

Norwegian Stars: What Do They Earn. And Why Do We Care

Money & Finance, Newsfeed
Let's start with the second part of that headline: why do we care. The honorable sport of cross country skiing does not live in a vacuum - it has to compete for attention of big TV channels and, most importantly, sponsors' money to exist. Aforementioned sponsors and broadcasters are simple people at their core: all they care about is a right kind of audience. The bigger - the merrier. Which brings us to amount of fans There are many great sports that simply have lost to the new entrants on the market - failing to adopt, not being seen as cool - and failing to produce their own stars that millions ( literally) want to follow and emulate. But stars by nature have to be in spotlight. Those fans, they…
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Diggins Gets Gold. As in Bose QC35 Gold

Diggins Gets Gold. As in Bose QC35 Gold

Money & Finance, Newsfeed
..it took a few decades but gold medals won by Jessie Diggins and Kikkan Randall at the PyeongChang Olympics might have been a proverbial straw that broke the camel's back ( to be sure, it was a mighty heavy straw!). Big advertizers and mainstream media have finally discovered cross country ( sorry - Nordic) skiing and are starting to appreciate its marketing potential. One does not make the ESPN Body Issue just by having a perfect body - there has to be a serious marketing potential, assessed and analyzed by people who's job is just that: find a new star millions would want to follow & emulate. Telecoms giant Comcast was quick to cash in on Diggins appeal among fans - old and new Hey, even Cosmopolitan enlightens its readers…
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ATEX – Brand That Dares To Be Different

ATEX – Brand That Dares To Be Different

Money & Finance, Newsfeed, Training & Outfitting
Once upon a time all racing suits were .. shall we say "monocolor"? Already made of Lycra ( or Spandex. Or Elastane - whichever name you prefer - it's the same, essentially) but still featuring single-color "design". How very boring! ...We'll skip for now the rest of history of ski racing clothing in the last 30 years, since the first patterns started to appear on them - an jump straight into 2018. The year that saw appearance of one of the most original race suits designs ever. Like ever-ever! Meet Lithuania national biathlon team , the Olympic edition Have you seen anything more impressive? With clear references to famed Battle of Grunewald a.k.a Tannenberg ( check how well you remember your history lessons ), the Lithuanian biathletes have tried to…
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