ANC Cup season kicks off in Australia

Winter is still relatively far off in Europe, at least when it comes to the start of the World Cups in disciplines associated with this time of year, such as alpine skiing, cross-country skiing and biathlon. In the Southern Hemisphere, however, it is already the height of winter at this time of year, so sporting activities in the aforementioned disciplines have already resumed or are about to get underway. One of the most prestigious events is the Australia New Zealand Cup (ANC) Down Under. The ANC Cup is a continental cross-country skiing series held at four ski resorts in Australia and New Zealand.

To kick off the season, winter sports athletes from nine nations (Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Korea, Canada, the USA, India, Venezuela and Switzerland) will gather this coming weekend at the Perisher Valley ski resort in Australia. With the exception of Switzerland, the USA and Canada, cross-country skiers from the other nations are something of an exotic presence on the World Cup circuit. The ANC Cup, however, gives them the chance to compete on equal terms against international rivals. In the coming weeks, the ANC Cup will also visit the Falls Creek and Snow Farm ski resorts in New Zealand, as well as Kangaroo Hoppet in Australia.

In addition to prize money that is rather modest compared with the World Cup, the overall ANC winner can look forward to a wildcard for the first races of the 2009/10 Cross-Country Skiing World Cup, which is held predominantly in Europe. The prerequisite is that the ANC champion comes from Australia or New Zealand, or is eligible to compete for one of these two countries.