“Races of technical disciplines will be held on slope number 7 and those of speed disciplines on the FIS slope. There will be 200 people working on the slopes every day, and they need to be instructed and prepared mentally. 17.5 km of A, B, C safety nets and 9,400 poles need to be installed. The first lorry with material will arrive in the resort of Jasná on 18th February, which will be the day preparation works on the slopes will start at full speed. These days, it is the schedule of the championships that is being finalised,“ said Jana Palovičová, director of JMC race committee.
Martin Kupčo from Tatry mountain resorts, a.s. (TMR), chief of courses, added: “I can honestly say that Jasná is happy to offer enough of what is the key item here, i.e. snow. The snow is now being levelled on slope number 7. Water will be injected into the surface to prepare tracks mainly for slalom and team races, to it more solid. The track was widened and upgraded a few years ago so that it meets all required FIS parameters now. Fixed safety nets (class A) were installed in spring and autumn in order to guarantee safety of all skiers competing. The track was tested last year and we can say its parameters improved to a high level.“
“Jasná is ready to face a wave of tourists and we are aware of the fact that the resort will be open for wide public during the championships. However, we hope we will manage to handle the increased number of people, we are well prepared and plan to use extra shuttle busses. We have already hosted similar events in the past and are not afraid of this bigger one,“ said Andrej Devečka, vice-chairman of JMC organising committee and member of TMR Board of Directors.
Janka Gantnerová, president of the Slovak Ski Association and president of JMC organising committee commented the event as follows: “The resort has been widened recently, new entry points in the areas of Lúčky and Krúpová were added. We will be happy to welcome people who should help create the atmosphere and show that Slovakia is interested in skiing. JMS will be attended by several popular sportsmen but I hope common people will still come here to ski or watch the race. 32 countries have already registered, we expect to have 40 in total. There should be up to 600 individuals to participate in the championships, including organising teams. People are really interested; i.e. Austria has a team of 40 members. We can see the event is highly important for them. Jasná counts among resorts with the largest investments made in the quality of ski tracks. The resort hosts also events for pupils and is available for sports trainings. The young generation has joined the project of JMS in form of volunteering and I am really happy to see voluntary activities restored in our area again.“
“Tatra Voluntary Service (TDS) will join the project of JMS actively. Volunteers will help prepare tracks, interpret, accompany international guests, organise ceremonies, install safety nets etc. TDS will need 150 volunteers. These days, recruitment procedures are in progress in Slovakia and Poland,“ concluded Matej Turjaník, head of TDS.
The championships of MSJ Jasná 2014 are organised as the 75th year of grand prix Veľká cena Demänovských jaskýň and will cover all alpine disciplines, i.e. slalom, super G, giant slalom, downhill, team races and super combined. Jasná has already hosted world-class events in the past such as World Cup, European Cup, World Winter Universiade and Junior European Championships. For more information about the schedule please visit www.jasna2014.sk.
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Tatry mountain resorts, a.s. is a top subject in the field of tourism in Central and Eastern Europe, which itself or via subsidiaries owns and operates attractive ski resorts and hotels in the area of the Low and High Tatras. These include the resort Jasná Low Tatras and the following hotels: Wellness hotel Grand Jasná, Boutique Hotel Tri studničky, Chalets Záhradky De Luxe and Mountain Hotel Srdiečko. In the High Tatras, TMR owns and operates resorts Tatranská Lomnica, Starý Smokovec and the following hotels: Grandhotel Praha Tatranská Lomnica, Grandhotel Starý Smokovec and hotel FIS Štrbské Pleso. TMR also co‐operates the resort Štrbské Pleso and since the winter season 2012/2013 it has been leasing the mountain resort Špindlerův Mlýn in the Czech Republic in cooperation with SMMR, a.s.. TMR owns Tatralandia, the largest Slovak water park with all-year operation, which offers a lot of water and other entertainment, a Fun Park, relaxation in a special tropical hall with sea water and accommodation in bungalows and suites of the Holiday Village Tatralandia. TMR also owns and rents hotels Kosodrevina, Liptov and Ski&Fun Záhradky and Bungalows. More than 190 million Euros were invested by the end of 2013 in the above mentioned resorts, which helps increase the standard and visitor turnout in the Tatras. The TMR shares have been traded on three European stock exchanges – in Bratislava, Prague and Warsaw since 2012.