The reason for this very low number of DSV athletes at the home game in front of over 25,000 fans in Oberstdorf is, on the one hand, a changed starting position regulation by the FIS: Until the previous season, the top nations were still allowed to nominate six jumpers for a World Cup competition, For winter 2023/2024, the number of starting places was reduced to five athletes.
According to race director Sandro Pertile, the FIS wanted to strengthen the smaller nations. This decision caused criticism shortly after it became known.
Nevertheless, the German team could have started with six jumpers in Oberstdorf this time too. However, the prerequisite for this would have been strong performances in the Continental Cup in December. Because the best three nations in the Continental Cup will receive a sixth quota place for the next World Cup phase.
Qualifying victory in Oberstdorf! Wellinger leaves Kraft and co. behind
DSV team misses quota place in Continental Cup
Although Luca Roth managed to win at the start of the COC in Lillehammer, his sixth place overall after the first four competitions in Lillehammer and Ruka was not enough for another DSV starting place in the World Cup.
Instead, Norway, Austria and Poland were allowed to nominate a sixth jumper for Oberstdorf.
DSV is not sending a national group to Oberstdorf
The last option for a larger German field of participants is the so-called “national group”, which each host ski association is allowed to represent in two of its World Cup competitions. In recent years this has resulted in 13 German athletes competing in the preliminary rounds in Oberstdorf.
Top 3 in the qualification: Wellinger surpasses Geiger and Prevc
The second deployment is currently still unclear. Last year, the second row of the DSV was able to prove itself at the home World Cup in Willingen. Since, apart from the challenging ski flying in Oberstdorf at the end of February, this will be the only other German World Cup stop this winter, the national group is likely to have its second outing in Hesse again.
Huge celebration in Oberstdorf: Raimund is really turning up the heat in qualifying
Oberstdorf: Wellinger and Geiger are nurturing hopes of an opening victory
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Geiger’s opening success in 2020 came during the time of the corona pandemic, which is why no spectators were allowed at the Schattenbergschanze.
“That’s awesome!” Wellinger, Geiger, Raimund and Paschke in an interview