«Professional marketing is needed in Wengen»

Lehmann: “We only replaced Wengen with Switzerland”

Swiss Ski President Urs Lehmann said on Friday evening at a media conference regarding the future of the World Cup races at the Lauberhorn in Wengen that professional marketing was needed. Lehmann does not want to respond to the organizers of the Lauberhorn races of CHF 1 million a year.

May 22, 2020

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At a media meeting, Swiss Ski President Urs Lehmann explains the Swiss Ski Association’s view of the future of the World Cup races on the Lauberhorn in Wengen.

Swiss Ski stunned the Swiss ski scene on Wednesday when it was announced that the Lauberhorn races in Wengen should be deleted from the racing calendar from the 2021/2022 season. «We only replaced Wengen with Switzerland in this media release. In this way, we wanted to continue to leave room for maneuver with Wengen, ”explains Urs Lehmann at the press conference. “Perhaps this message will help so that we can find a solution with Wengen as soon as possible.”

Swiss Ski is striving for a sustainable solution. “But not at any price.” The Swiss Ski Association does not want to pay the Wengen organizing committee one million francs – but that is the legally required amount of the marketing money.

The organizer receives around two million francs a year from the Swiss Ski marketer – apparently far too little, as OC President Urs Näpflin explained at the beginning of the year: “Last year we had great races and a new audience record. And wrote a loss of CHF 270,000. »

Lehmann emphasizes that Swiss Ski will always give the legendary racing location a hand if the race changes in the commercial area. Swiss Ski demands professional marketing. Lehmann says: “Wengen is a world leader in the technical field. But the commercial area can still be expanded. We have marketing professionals at Swiss Ski. »

The classic ski in the Bernese Oberland is on the brink, which is why even politicians are now intervening and offering themselves as mediators. “I appreciate such letters, but now we are also demanding action from these politicians,” said Lehmann on the public letter from SVP National Councilor Lars Guggisberg.