More than 6.500 participants at the start on Sunday. Universally acknowledged as one of the most popular cross-country ski race in the world, the Italian Marcialonga is ready to kick off next Sunday 31st January in Trentino region (Italy). The 37th edition of the “Queen” of the Italian ski-marathons through the Fiemme and Fassa valleys (70 km, start in Moena and finish in Cavalese), is the absolute star event of the season.

The tracks have been perfectly prepared with 150.000 meters cubed of snow produced in the last days and accurately set on the race course. Thanks also to the low temperatures registered over the past days, and forecast for Saturday and Sunday morning (down to -12°C), this year’s course will probably win the award for “best Marcialonga tracks” ever made in over 35 years of this race history, as Alfredo Weiss (OC president) claimed.

Among the many top athletes on the start line, there will be the Swedes Oskar Svärd, Daniel Tynell and Jerry Ahrlin – who won last year’s Marcialonga and in 2007– and their fellow countrywomen Nyström, Lintzen and Hansson. The Norwegian champion Jörgen Aukland – who won the race in 2003 and 2006, and arrived second in 2007, 2008 and 2009 – will also be part of the top group, along with his brother Anders – who was the “gold medallist” in 2004 and 2008 – and the former world champion Thomas Alsgaard. The winner of last year’s female race, the Norwegian Hilde G. Pedersen, will try to win the third Marcialonga of her career – after 2007 and 2009. Other “big” names on the Marcialonga startlist are the Austrian Steurer, the Czech Rezac, the Estonian Mae and the “azzurri” Cattaneo, Carrara and Santus. Bjørn Dæhlie, probably the greatest Winter Olympic athlete of all-time, will also be taking part in Sunday’s race.

The 2010 Marcialonga will be broadcast live from 10am to 12.10pm on eight European channels, namely NRK (Norway), SWT (Sweden), YLE (Finland), DRTV (Denmark). Ceska Televize (Czech Republic). Eesti TV (Estonia), Greek TV (Greece) and a Russian satellite channel, and, of course, on the Italian RAI.

The Italian Marcialonga is part of both the prestigious Worldloppet circuit and the FIS Marathon Cup (since 2000).
For more click on www.marcialonga.it.

The Mallorca Dancesport Challenge which will take place on the 1st and 2nd May 2010 on the stunning Mediterranean island of Mallorca is an exciting new event for the international dance community.

The IDSF has approved for the first time the IDSF World Open Senior I Ten Dance Championship, and the Mallorca Dancesport Challenge will be the first to feature this competition together with a wide range of other IDSF championships.

With its warm Mediterranean climate, stunning scenery and easy flight connections, Mallorca provides the perfect setting for such an event, presenting competitors with the opportunity to combine their participation in the championships with leisure time in one of the world’s most popular tourism destinations.
The Mallorca Dancesport Challenge has the backing of all of Mallorca’s major public institutions

The organizers are very pleased to invite the entire international dance community to come to Mallorca for these new championships that they are confident that will become an established annual event.

Program
Saturday, May 1st 2010
IDSF World Senior I 10 Dance Championship (Senior II Couples can also dance this competition)
IDSF Open Adult latin
IDSF Open Senior III Standard
Mallorca Open Youth Latin
National Competitions Standard

Sunday, May 2nd 2010
IDSF Open Senior I Standard
IDSF Open Senior II Standard
IDSF Open Senior I Latin
National Competitions Latin

For other informations please visit www.mallorcachallenge.com.

Daniel & Daniela – Salsa Open 2009

The Dancesport Cup Malta 2010 will take place on Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st February 2010 at the Grand Ballroom of the Grand Hotel Excelsior … the 5 star Deluxe hotel in Malta.

This competition also forms part of the Grand Prix offering the sum of EUR 100,000 to the highest ranking couples which is taking place in 5 different countries with the final competition in Rimini as per attached.

The National competitions for Medalists will take place in the morning.

Entry forms for both Medalists and IDSF or IPDSC competitions are also available on www.dscmalta.com … or you can contact Pierre Buttigieg on pierre(at)pgdevelopments.com.

Entrance tickets will be out soon .. and will be on a first come first served basis since only a limited number of seats will be available. Dress code is Smart to keep up the high standard of the competition. The World Top Dancers will be attending and also the highest IDSF officials. All judges are IDSF international adjudicators coming from various different countries.

The organizers have negotiated very good rates for the dancers and any accompanying persons for hotel accomodation at the Grand Hotel Excelsior (EUR 55 per person per night in a twin/dbl room on B/B basis).

The Maltese airline Airmalta has also offered a 10% discounts on all Airmalta flights for the passengers attending the Dancesport Cup Malta. A link has been created on the competition’s website which allows bookings at discounted rates on line directly with Airmalta.

Kindly note that a Training Camp is being organized before the competition. Top international coaches are coming to organize group workshops and also private lessons for both standard and latin. It is important that anyone interested in these lessons should inform the organizers immediately since we are already planning the timetable for these groups & lessons.

Transfers Airport-Hotel-Airport is also being offered free of charge to the couples. Anyone interested in making use of the free service should immediately send the flight details to the organizers, so that the transportation will be organized.

For all participating couples it has been organized an After Party on Sunday night. This event will be held at a well known bar in Paceville (known as the entertainment village) in Malta. Free transport is being offered from and to the hotel.

After the successful competition in 2009 the organisers are proud to announce that TilburgMoves will be back in 2010 !!! The competitions will be organized on February 19th, 20th and 21st 2010 in Tilburg, the Netherlands.

2010 Competitions
IDSF Rising Stars Open Standard
IDSF International Open Standard
IDSF Rising Stars Open Latin
IDSF International Open Latin
IDSF Senior I Open Standard
IDSF Senior II Open Standard
IDSF Senior III Open Standard
IDSF Senior I Open Latin
Dutch Championships Youth
NADB competitions Standard & Latin

Tilburg
The city – which is located in the province of Brabant – currently has approximately 200,000 inhabitants. Tilburg has a flourishing economy and the presence of Tilburg University and various higher professional and senior secondary vocational education institutes makes it a true student town. The many annual events underline the city’s outgoing, welcoming character. Everyone is welcomed!

Find more at www.tilburgmoves.nl

The sexiest sport on earth brings the world to Vancouver.

Vancouver, BC –From January 22-24, athletes from at least 19 countries will convene at the Hyatt Regency Vancouver to engage in what they call the sexiest sport on earth. Ballroom dancing, or DanceSport as the competitive version is called, is a highly athletic competition featuring skimpy costumes, swiveling hips and the longest leg lines in the world of sport. Hundreds of talented DanceSport athletes, including some of the very best in the world, will take part in the spectacular SnowBall Classic competition.

Considered one of the most prestigious competitions in North America, the SnowBall Classic, now in its 22nd year, regularly attracts some of the world’s best couples. This year’s competition features the “IDSF World Cup Latin.” Only one Latin World Cup contest is held each year. The event is the most important world Latin competition after the world championships. Only one couple from each member federation is allowed to take part.

The World Cup Latin event includes couples from Australia, Austria, Chinese Taipei, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine and across North America. Three full days of competition includes many other events for all skill levels.

With 86 countries and more than 5 million registered athletes worldwide, the IDSF has developed Ballroom DanceSport into one of the most popular sports in the world. In 1997 the International Olympic Committee recognized the IDSF as a full member as well as giving DanceSport full recognition. The sport is currently awaiting space in the summer games medal program.

From an athletic viewpoint, a 1986 study conducted by the University of Freiburg in Germany demonstrated that the muscle exertion, measured by production of lactic acid, along with the oxygen demands and heart rates of DanceSport competitors performing one competition dance of approximately two minutes were equal to the muscle exertion and oxygen requirements of cyclists, swimmers and Olympic 800-metre runners exerting themselves over the same period of time. The German study’s methodology was repeated in a recent Australian study, the results of which were published in the authoritative British Journal of Sports Medicine. DanceSport competitors must apply that kind of physical exertion five times in each round, with several rounds in a typical day.

But no other sport holds as much sex appeal as DanceSport. Costumes are governed by strict IDSF regulations, but athletes find amazing ways to remain within guidelines and yet show as much skin as possible. They say it helps enhance the leg lines and body movement. Good costuming also accentuate the character of the dances, which is largely about the interplay of romantic tensions between the partners.

Local costume designer Tatiana Teslenko says that one of the biggest challenges in creating a costume is to maximize the qualities already present in the body shape, while hiding imperfections. “If you hear that someone has a ‘perfect’ body, it only means they have a perfectly designed dress,” she explains. “A good dress makes the body look better, and that adds to the appeal of the dancer’s movement.”

The ten dances that make up the competitive ballroom program, as featured on such popular television shows as Dancing With the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance Canada, include the sensual Rumba, cheeky Cha Cha Cha, energetic Jive, sexy Samba, dramatic Paso Doble, fiery Tango, lively Quickstep, elegant Slow Foxtrot, swirling Viennese Waltz and ever-popular Slow Waltz.

The SnowBall Classic, hosted by DanceSport BC, features competitions in all age groups and skill levels. It happens in the Hyatt Regency Vancouver. Tickets are sold through Tickets Tonight. For details and ticket information, visit the web site at www.snowballclassic.com.

For more information about the event or the local couples involved, please contact:
George Pytlik
604-657-1351
george(at)adwiz.biz

Canada will welcome the world’s best winter athletes to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) was established on September 30, 2003. The Committee’s mandate is to support and promote the development of sport in Canada by planning, organizing, financing and staging the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. VANOC is guided by a 20-member board of directors nominated by the Government of Canada, the Province of British Columbia, the City of Vancouver, the Resort Municipality of Whistler, the Canadian Olympic Committee, the Canadian Paralympic Committee and local First Nations.

Previous Olympic and Paralympic Games in Canada
Canada has twice hosted the Olympic Games. In 1976, Montreal, Quebec was the site of the Olympic Summer Games that featured more than 6,000 athletes from 92 nations. In 1988, Calgary, Alberta was the site of the Olympic Winter Games that featured more than 1,400 athletes from 57 nations. Canada hosted the Paralympic Games in 1976 in Toronto. This event marked the first Paralympic Games at which athletes not in a wheelchair were included in the sport program.

British Columbia — Host Province
Located on Canada’s west coast, the province of British Columbia (BC) is Canada’s third largest province, covering 944,735 square kilometres. It has a vast and varied landscape, made up of coastal fjords, snow-capped mountain peaks, lush valleys and desert expanses. The province’s major industries are tourism, fishing, mining, hydroelectricity and forestry, with the addition of industries such as eco-tourism, film and high-tech over the last decade.
British Columbia is known for its diverse population. More than 40 major Aboriginal cultural groups are represented in the region. The province’s large Asian communities have made Chinese and Punjabi the most-spoken languages after English. There are also sizeable German, Italian, Japanese and Russian communities, all creating a vibrant culture.

Aboriginal Participation in the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games
For the first time in Olympic and Paralympic Games history, Aboriginal participation is a specific function of an Olympic and Paralympic Games organizing committee. VANOC is encouraging Aboriginal peoples from British Columbia and across Canada to participate in as many areas of the 2010 Winter Games as possible: as athletes, volunteers, employees, entrepreneurs, artists and performers, spectators and cultural ambassadors.
Together with the Four Host First Nations, VANOC is working with other First Nation, Inuit and Métis groups throughout Canada in the planning and hosting of the Games. The goals of VANOC’s Aboriginal Participation department fall into five key areas:

• Partnerships and Collaboration
• Sport and Youth
• Economic Development
• Cultural Involvement
• Awareness and Education

Olympic Winter Games Sport Program
The 2010 Olympic Winter Games sport program includes seven sports and 86 medal events:

• Biathlon
• Bobsleigh and Skeleton
• Curling
• Ice Hockey
• Luge
• Skating
    Figure Skating, Short Track Speed Skating, Speed Skating
• Skiing
    Alpine Skiing, Cross-Country Skiing, Freestyle Skiing, Nordic Combined, Ski Jumping, Snowboard

Paralympic Winter Games Sport Program
The 2010 Paralympic Winter Games sport program includes five sports and 64 medal events:

• Alpine Skiing
• Biathlon
• Cross-Country Skiing
• Ice Sledge Hockey
• Wheelchair Curling

Olympic Arts Festival
On January 22, 2010, three weeks before the Opening Ceremony of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, the three-week Olympic Arts Festival will begin. The festival will be a celebration of the Olympic Movement and the Olympic spirit, and a showcase for Canadian art and culture, together with the best the rest of the world has to offer. The festival will take place in more than 30 different venues and locations throughout Vancouver and Whistler — at theatres, galleries, clubs and the sidewalks, streets and public spaces around the sport venues — presenting a blend of traditional and contemporary arts and cultural events and experiences. Many events will be free of charge.
The Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Games will be watched by as many as three billion people worldwide. The Opening Ceremony will welcome the Olympic Family and Canada’s guests from around the world, while showcasing the spirit of Vancouver, British Columbia and Canada on the world stage. The Closing Ceremony will celebrate the achievements of the athletes, volunteers and host community.

Mascots
The West Coast of Canada is a magical place, with gigantic trees, soaring mountains and a restless ocean. The oral traditions of local First Nations tell us of the mythic journeys of Legendary Beings, Transformers and Guardian Spirits. The stories of the Ancestors, and their hereditary names, songs and legends, all
reflect the values of the diverse First Nations cultures and their relationships with the land.
Miga and Quatchi, the Olympic mascots, and Sumi, the Paralympic mascot, represent the people, geography and spirit of British Columbia and Canada while personifying the essence of the 2010 Winter Games.

Olympic & Paralympic Torch Relay
The Olympic Torch Relay is the transfer of the Olympic Flame from Olympia, Greece, where the first Olympic Games were held thousands of years ago — to the stadium of the city hosting the current Olympic Games. The flame arrives just in time for the Opening Ceremony. The 2010 Olympic Torch Relay is a 35,000 kilometre journey connecting Canadians in every province and territory over approximately 100 days, and involving 12,000 torchbearers. The journey of the Olympic Flame will culminate at BC Place on February 12, 2010 with the lighting of the Olympic Cauldron, signalling the start of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

Immediately following the Closing Ceremony for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games, a new torch relay will begin.
The Paralympic Torch Relay will provide an opportunity for Canadians to make history by supporting the Paralympic Games in a progressive culture that has already been united through national and international relay heroes such as Terry Fox and Rick Hansen. The Paralympic Torch Relay will focus on the inspirational nature of sport and related opportunities for people with physical disabilities. Unlike the Olympic Flame, the Paralympic Flame has no ancestral home. Each Paralympic Organizing Committee has the freedom to choose a lighting method and ceremony that is significant to the Host Country. As such, there will be a national series of celebrations planned to take place in each Canadian province and territory over a 10-day period. The focus will be on the inspiring power of an individual’s ability to achieve great results.

The Paralympic Torch will be carried by hundreds of Canadians, and the Paralympic Torch Relay will culminate with an extraordinary event prior to its arrival at BC Place Stadium on March 12, 2010 to light the cauldron and signal the start of the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games.

Quick facts about the 2010 Winter Games
17 days of Olympic Games events: February 12 to 28, 2010
10 days of Paralympic Games events: March 12 to 21, 2010
86 Olympic Winter Games medal events
64 Paralympic Winter Games medal events
5,500 Olympic Games athletes and team officials (projected)
1,350 Paralympic Games athletes and team officials (projected)
80+ countries participating in Olympic Winter Games
40+ countries participating in Paralympic Winter Games
10,000 media representatives
3 billion worldwide television viewers

Visit www.vancouver2010.com to keep up with latest news.

The attention for the two final stages in Val di Fiemme is growing. Alberto Tomba and Manuela Di Centa will be present; as well the Minister Frattini, the presidents Kasper (FIS), Petrucci (CONI) and Morzenti (FISI) are announced. The race locations are ready and well snow covered.

The final part of the Tour de Ski will be very exciting also for the 2010 edition. The world of Nordic skiing is waiting with great interest for the start of the Tour de Ski scheduled for the 1st of January and ending after 10 days with 8 races in 3 Countries, i.e. Germany, Czech Republic and Italy.

In Val di Fiemme, in Italy, where the Nordic Ski World Championships will take place in 2013, also the fourth edition of Tour de Ski will end with the last two stages, as happened in the last years and as it will happen until 2013, with the very hard “final climb”. The two last stages that will establish the new winners of the “Tour” the 9 and 10 of January announce thousands of people, last season 20.000 spectators gathered along the Alpe Cermis.

But also the VIP area will be crowded, with famous sport and political people. The presence of the Foreign Minister Franco Frattini is announced – he is a great fan of winter sport, as well as Manuela Di Centa, who won three medals at the 1991 World Championships in Val di Fiemme, then the president of CONI Petrucci, the president of FIS Gian-Franco Kasper, the president of FISI Morzenti, but also famous athletes like Alberto Tomba, who is curious about the uphill race, the three cycling champions Francesco Moser, Maurizio Fondriest and Gilberto Simoni, the olympic and world champion Katerina Neumannova and the local authorities are announced. Many other VIPs are expected, the organising committee is waiting for their confirmation.

Along the uphill of Alpe Cermis in the 2007 edition the winner was the German Tobias Angerer, in the 2008 the success was for the Czech Lukas Bauer, in the 2009 for the Swiss Dario Cologna. The three athletes are announced at the start this season, looking for a second victory, and among women the Finnish Virpi Kuitunen will try to repeat the last season success.

The tracks of the cross country stadium of Lago di Tesero and of the “final climb” on the Alpe Cermis are ready and waiting for the “circus” of Tour de Ski. Also the ski jumping hill of Predazzo is ready to host the two Nordic combined World Cup races, together with the tracks of Lago di Tesero, in the same days of 9 and 10 of January.

Supplementary info @ www.fiemme2013.com.

2013 World Championships projects illustrated to the FIS inspectors.
The two stadiums in Predazzo and Lago di Tesero will be ready by October 2011.
Staff congratulated on the work done by FIS General Secretary Sarah Lewis.
A new successful step towards the 2013.

The third FIS inspection for the 2013 FIS Nordic Ski World Championship, a new important test for the Fiemme 2013 organising committee, took place in Cavalese (Val di Fiemme Italy) on Monday October 26th. The FIS management, led by General Secretary Sarah Lewis, EBU board members and Tridem (partner for the exploitation of the commercial rights of the event), met the Italian committee to discuss several topics concerning the many organisational details, and go through the 20 main points on the FIS agenda.

Ms. Lewis introductory speech was full of appreciation: Here in Val di Fiemme I see the same big group who worked with great professionalism in 2003 and showed great skills and a fantastic atmosphere among the whole staff. I have noticed remarkable progress and we will surely keep working together in a constructive manner.
The restoration projects of the Cross-Country Ski Center in Lago di Tesero and the Ski Jumping Stadium in Predazzo, have been illustrated in details. The works are due to start next spring and will be completed by October 2011. New facilities for the public will be built as well as bigger areas for press and TV. Also a huge 2.800 squared meters underground area will be hosting the IBC.

The Fiemme 2013 organising committee also intends to create entertaining activities and events, in order to have a real 10-day “South” Nordic Festival in February 2013. People will enjoy the warm Italian Life Style and the delicious food, while spending an unforgettable time through the Dolomites, which recently have been inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Another interesting point on the agenda was the public transportation and the access to the venues during the 2013 World Championships. Issues such as the environment, low emissions and user-friendly services were central, as the improvement of local transport facilities to be done within the next few years in Val di Fiemme.

At the end of the meeting, the Fiemme 2013 organising committee, presided by the two presidents Tiziano Mellarini and Pietro De Godenz, was congratulated on the work done by FIS General Secretary Sarah Lewis.
Now the Italian committee is working to celebrate the 100th World Cup race in Val di Fiemme, scheduled on January 9th and 10th with the final leg of the FIS Tour de Ski on the legendary final climb on the Alpe Cermis. Along with the Tour de Ski final race (the 100th competition will be the Women race), two FIS World Cup Nordic Combined competitions will be held on the same days.