Kitzbühel Welcomes the Virtus Open from 4th February
No sooner are the Hahnenkamm Races over than the next ski highlight looms on the horizon: from 4 to 7 February, the Virtus Open will be held in Kitzbühel for the first time. The international race series brings together athletes with intellectual disabilities, Down syndrome and autism. The programme includes Super-G, giant slalom and slalom events.
While dismantling operations for the Hahnenkamm Races began in the Hahnenkamm finish area immediately after Saturday’s Downhill race, the next ski event is already taking shape just opposite on Kitzbühel Horn. Organised by Kitzbühel Ski Club in cooperation with the Austrian Paralympic Committee, the Virtus Open will welcome international ski sport for athletes with intellectual disabilities to Kitzbühel from 4 to 7 February.
The Virtus Open is an international race series closely aligned with elite and squad-based competitive sport. Alongside titles and medals, one of its core objectives is to ensure that performances are internationally comparable. This season, the series stops not only in Kitzbühel but also in Italy, France and the USA.
The programme for the Virtus Open on the Kitzbüheler Horn includes a super-G on 5 February, a giant slalom on 6 February and a slalom on 7 February. Entry is free, and the organisers expect around 50 athletes from eight nations.
Grameiser-Scherl of the Austrian Disabled Sports Federation shares the athletes’ eagerness:
“The Virtus Open in Kitzbühel is so much more than just a race for my team and me. It represents years of development work, active inclusion and the clear goal of making alpine skiing for athletes with intellectual disabilities a Paralympic sport. Here, our athletes show they are capable of world-class performances.”
Two local favourites from Aschau in the municipality of Kirchberg will also be taking part: Lukas and Thomas Moser. They have already familiarised themselves with the slope on the Kitzbühel Horn (Brunelle) and have been training in the giant slalom.
Thomas Moser in particular is feeling highly motivated – after all, his great role model, Manuel Feller, claimed victory on the Ganslern slope only last Sunday.
