Title: 1) Beatrici Lorenza (Atl
Author: tpo
Last saved by: Elena
Company: Newspower

Press Release 19 February 2013

FIS NORDIC WORLD SKI CHAMPIONSHIPS: ONE DAY TO GO
OVER 700 ATHLETES GATHERED IN VAL DI FIEMME

2013 Nordic World Ski Championships to begin tomorrow
Val di Fiemme welcomes over 700 athletes from 57 countries
All names unveiled. Let the games begin
Opening ceremony tomorrow at 6pm in Trento and Val di Fiemme

Time has officially run out and curtains are about to be raised tomorrow on the 2013 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Italy’s Val di Fiemme. Over 700 athletes from 57 countries and five continents are going to take the field tomorrow morning (Qualification Rounds XC Men and Women) and will be battling it up until the 3 March. 
As said, almost 60 nations will be represented in cross country, ski jumping and Nordic combined competitions and the first trainings inside the XC Stadium (Lago di Tesero) and SJ Arena (Predazzo) has already taken place yesterday and today.
World’s best skiers are about to show their muscles on the snow in order to grab a World medal at all costs. In cross country, the Norwegian armada will be counting on double Olympic champion Petter Northug who will attempt to improve his Oslo 2011 record of five medals won. Dario Cologna, Aleksandr Legkov (2013 Tour de Ski winner) or Markus Hellner are certainly his main opponents, but the list is way longer and includes also Italian Giorgio Di Centa, Roland Clara and Federico Pellegrino, ready to fight hard in front of their crowd. On women’s side, Justyna Kowalczyk of Poland and Marit Bjoergen of Norway will be drawing everyone’s eyes on them, even though Johaug, Steira, Kalla or Randall will surely say a word.
Regarding the Ski Jumping section, the Austrian male team is undoubtedly the most favourite one, but Poles, Norwegians and Japanese will not stand and watch. Among women, Americans and Japanese will be competing against the Italian team, and the show is not to be missed.
Eric Frenzel (GER), Jason Lamy Chappuis (FRA), Bernhard Gruber (AUT) and Magnus Moan (NOR) are the Nordic combined fab four, but Italy’s Pittin and Japan’s Watabe surely will do their best to eventually jump on the podium.
As said, the first XC qualifying rounds will kick off tomorrow at 10.45 am at the XC stadium and everyone’s invited to support athletes from all over the planet, Togo, Nepal, Brasil or Perù, for example, just to mention some of the nations where Nordic sports are not exactly the main ones in their countries, but in Val di Fiemme everybody is worth of being properly and loudly supported.  
The 2013 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships opening ceremony is scheduled tomorrow at 6pm in central Duomo Square in Trento. The national squads will be parading through the picturesque city centre and gathering beside the majestic cathedral, on the square where the torch will be lit and a fantastic show will be entertaining all the guests with dancers, actors, climbers and much more. The very last minutes of the ceremony will take place in Lago di Tesero (broadcast live on video walls in Trento as well), 150 paper lanterns will illuminate the valley together with fireworks. 
Info: www.fiemme2013.com