Page 36 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide 2016 - Austria

34  INTRODUCING A USTRIA

Sport in Austria is a popular year-round training
ground for cross-country skiers
Austria is one of the most sport-loving nations in Europe, from around the world. Even
a fact reflected in the great popularity of recreational the national teams of Finland
sports as well as in the country’s success in international and Norway practise here in
summer, polishing up their
compe titions – relative to its small population, the number techniques and develop ing
of European and world champions, as well as Olympic stamina dressed only in their
medallists, in Austria is very high. swimwear – or less: nude cross-
Some three million people – members of 27,500 sports country skiing is famously
clubs – participate in various sports and sports con tests. permitted in this resort.
The most popular and widely pursued sport is downhill Two of the prestigious Four
Hills ski jump tournaments
skiing, followed by soccer, nordic (or cross-country) skiing, take place in Innsbruck and
tennis, swimming, golf, cycling and windsurfing. New sports, Bischofshofen. The event,
such as snowboarding, are also becoming more popular. straddling the last week of
December and the first week
in January, sees the final
the spectacular World Cup event in Bischofshofen.
Alpine Skiing Men’s Downhill and Slalom
Alpine or downhill skiing has race takes place here; past
been the number one national Austrian champions have
sport in Austria for over 100 included Toni Sailer, Franz
years. Mathias Zdarsky (1856– Klammer and Hermann Maier.
1940) wrote the first handbook Austria’s eight glacial regions
of skiing in 1897, invented the permit year-round skiing. Most
first ski bindings worthy of popular are the glaciers situated
mention, and organized, in above Kaprun and Stubai.
1905, the first slalom race. Up-to-date information on
The Winter Olympics have snow cover and the running
twice been held in Innsbruck of some 3,500 ski lifts and
(1964 and 1976), and European cable cars is available from
and world championships are the Alpine Association’s website
hosted by other resorts. The at www.alpenverein.at (in
best-known venues for downhill German only).
skiing contests are Arlberg in
Tyrol, St Anton (which hosts the Nordic Skiing Record-breaking ski jumper,
Alpine World Championships), Andreas Goldberg
Kitzbühel and St Christoph, with It is no coincidence that, in 1999,
its Ski Academy, the training the World Championships in
centre for ski instructors. The nordic or cross-country skiing Tobogganing
international Hahnenkamm events were held in Styria, in Tobogganing is another winter
races in Kitzbühel are famous the beautiful town of Ramsau. sport at which Austria excels on
the world over. In January, The local glacier, Dachstein, the international stage; world-
wide, only Germany and Italy
achieve comparable results.
Over the last decades, Austrian
competitors have won several
medals in this discipline at the
Olympic Games, as well as
various World Championships
and World Cup events in all
age categories.
The reason for this great
Olympic and international
success is the widespread
popu larity of the sport in
Austria. Competitors train in
some 310 tobogganing clubs
and associations, represented
in all provinces, with the
Hermann Maier on his final slalom run in Hinterstoder exception of Burgenland.

034-035_EW_Austria.indd 34 03/09/15 5:40 pm
Eyewitness Travel LAYERS PRINTED:
Feature template “UK” LAYER
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Date 18th October 2012
Size 125mm x 217mm