Girls of the Slovene ski jumping national team have presented their goals for the first World Cup competition in Ljubno

Ljubljana, January 11th 2012 – “The devilish Slovene girls continue with their successful results, even in ski jumping!” This was the main topic of today’s press conference at Ljubljana BTC City’s Shopping Gallery Crystal Palace where six teammates from the Slovene national ski jumping team talked about their preparations for the first World Cup competition in women ski jumping. There will be two competitions for the trophy on February 11th and 12th in Ljubno ob Savinji where there will be plenty of Slovenian athletes representing our country.

In the company of the head coach Matjaž Triplat and his assistant Primož Peterka, the girls have presented their own views on the first World Cup competition in women ski jumping. It has started in December of last year in Lillehammer and there will also be two following competitions at home in Ljubno ob Savinji. In the first competition Katja Požun was placed seventh and Špela Rogelj tenth. They are prepared for all the expectations and pressures, and they proved to be the real »hellish girls« who will successfully continue the tradition of great sports results of all their predecessors in the category of winter sports. In Hinterzarten Maja Vtič was placed 4th, Katja Požun 7th and Špela Rogelj 10th. In the overall rankings of Summer Grand Prix our best ski jumper is Katja Požun who is currently placed 6th.

Barbara Kürner Čad, the Slovenian Ski Association director, Ljubo Jasnič, the president of Ski jumping and Nordic combinations Assembly and Committee, Rajko Pintar, the president of Ljubno Olympic Committee 2012, and Damjan Kralj, the BTC City director, have joined the girls and their coaches at the press conference. Damjan Kralj also presented an extensive campaign, with which the general sponsor of both competitions in Ljubno, BTC Company, wishes to attract the attention of Slovenians to what usually remains unnoticed. Yes, there are women who compete in World Cup ski jumping! In Slovenia we have an excellent young women’s national team and thus perfect opportunities to win the Olympic medal at the next winter Olympic Games in 2014 in Sochi.

In the pleasant environment of the shopping centre the campaign will address the general public, but foremost women. All visitors will have the opportunity to get to know the ski jumping sport every Friday at Kolosej cinema and on Saturdays in the BTC City’s Hall A. Female contestants will be able to compete for the title “Devilish Slovenian in virtual ski jumping” and compete for interesting prizes with the main prize of a six months free rent of BMW1 car with a petrol card OMV valued at 1000 Euros. Even the living legends of Slovene winter sport such as Petra Majdič, Špela Pretnar, Primož Ulaga, Matjaž Zupan and others will compete in these virtual competitions. The Radio 1 team and Žurnal media house, which are together with Europlakat, the two media sponsors of the event, will also compete.

Ljubno, a place that lives with ski jumping

Ljubno in the Upper Savinja valley has been living with ski jumping for more than eighty years. The first attempts of ski jumping happened before the Second World War when Jaka Vodušek with his military skies performed some experimental ski jumps. Since 1947, when the contract for building the 60-metre ski jump was signed with the renowned ski jumping constructor of Planica, the engineer Stanko Bloudek, the devices have been regularly rebuilt and completed. Up to now, when the Ski Jumping Club Ljubno BTC already has its own representative in the men’s World cup, namely Primož Pikl, a lot has happened in this field. Ever since they built the 60-metre ski jumping hill Ljubno has had one of the best conditions for training and competitions in ski jumping in Slovenia. The biggest device which enables jumps even over 100 metres was built according to FIS rules; hence it is no surprise that in February 2012 the best female ski jumpers in the world will compete there as well.

Additional information:

Maja Oven, Director of the Market Communication and Public Relations Sector

• T: +386(0)1/585 13 15
• E: maja.oven@btc.si