ALPINE SKIING WORLD CUP
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The 'alpine skiing World Cup' is a circuit of alpine skiing competitions launched in 1966 by a group of ski racing friends and experts which included Alpine Directors from France (Honore Bonnet) and USA (Bob Beattie) and French reporter at L'Equipe in Paris, Serge Lang. It was soon backed by former President of the International Ski Federation (FIS) Marc Hodler during the 1966 FIS World Championships at Portillo, Chile, and became an official FIS event in spring 1967 after the Congress at Beirut, in Libanon. It's now fully regulated by the International Ski Federation (FIS). Races are held primarily at ski resorts in the Alps in Europe, with regular stops in Scandinavia, North America, and east Asia. The first season for the World Cup was 1967. Jean-Claude Killy of France and Nancy Greene of Canada were the overall winners for the first two seasons.
Competitors attempt to achieve the best time in four disciplines: slalom, giant slalom, Super G, and downhill. The fifth event, the combined, employs the downhill and slalom. The World Cup originally included only slalom, giant slalom, and downhill races. Combined events (calculated using results from selected downhill and slalom races) were included starting with the 1974–75 season, while the Super-G was added for the 1982–83 season. The current scoring system was implemented in the 1991–92 season. For every race points are awarded to the top 30 finishers: 100 points to the winner, 80 for second, 60 for third, winding down to 1 point for 30th place. The racer with the most points at the end of the season in mid-March wins the Cup, with the trophy consisting of a 9 kilogram crystal globe.[1] Sub-prizes are also awarded in each individual race discipline, with a smaller 3.5 kg crystal globe. (See the section on scoring system below for more information.)
The World Cup is held annually, and is considered the premier competition for alpine ski racing after the tetrannual Winter Olympics. Many consider the World Cup to be a more valuable title than the Olympics or the biannual World Championships, since it requires a competitor to ski at an extremely high level in several disciplines throughout the season (and not just in one race).
Lower competitive circuits include the ''NorAm Cup'' in North America and the ''Europa Cup'' in Europe.
Multiple overall World Cup wins are marked with (#). For a complete list of winners in each discipline,
see Alpine Skiing World Cup Men and Alpine Skiing World Cup Women.
The following skiers have won multiple overall alpine World Cup titles.
The records for most World Cup titles in each discipline are as follows:
★ Downhill: Franz Klammer (), 5
★ Super G: Hermann Maier (), 5
★ Giant Slalom: Ingemar Stenmark (), 8
★ Slalom: Ingemar Stenmark (), 8
★ Combined: Kjetil André Aamodt (), 5
★ Downhill: Annemarie Moser-Pröll (), 7
★ Super G: Katja Seizinger (), 5
★ Giant Slalom: Vreni Schneider (), 5
★ Slalom: Vreni Schneider (), 6
★ Combined: Brigitte Oertli () and Janica Kostelić (), 4
For a complete list of winners in each discipline, see Alpine Skiing World Cup Men and Alpine Skiing World Cup Women.
A common measurement on how good individual skiers are is often the total number of World Cup races won during the skiing career. The following skiers have won at least 20 World Cup races:
Only a few of the most versatile racers have ever managed to win races in all 5 World Cup alpine skiing disciplines during their career, as listed in the table below. Marc Girardelli (1988–89), Petra Kronberger (1990–91), and Janica Kostelić (2005–6) are the only skiers to have won all 5 events in a single season. Since the combined was not introduced until the 1974–75 season and the Super G until 1982–83, the following list also includes those racers who won races in all disciplines available during their World Cup careers (events not available are marked by NA).
The following skiers have won at least 10 World Cup races in a single season (events not available in a given season are marked by NA):
The World Cup scoring system is based on awarding a number of points for each place in a race, but the procedure for doing so and the often-arcane method used to calculate the annual champions has varied greatly over the years. Originally, points were awarded only to the top 10 finishers in each race, with 25 points for the winner, 20 for second, 15 for third, 11 for fourth, 8 for fifth, 6 for sixth, 4 for seventh, and then decreasing by 1 point for each lower place. To determine the winner for each discipline World Cup, only a racer's best 3 results would count, even though there would typically be 6-8 races in each discipline. For the overall Cup, the best three results in each discipline would be summed. For the 1971–72 season, the number of results counted was increased to 5 in each discipline. The formula used to determine the overall winner varied almost every year over the next decade, with some seasons divided into two portions with a fixed number of results in each period counting towards the overall, while in other seasons the best 3 or 4 results in each discipline would count.
Starting with the 1979–80 season, points were awarded to the top 15 finishers in each race. After 1980–81, the formula for the overall title stabilized for several years, counting the best 5 results in the original disciplines (slalom, giant slalom, and downhill) plus the best 3 results in combined. When Super G events were introduced for the 1982–83 season, the results were included with giant slalom for the first three seasons, before a separate discipline Cup was awarded starting in 1985–86 and the top 3 Super G results were counted towards the overall. The formula for the overall was changed yet again the following season, with the top 4 results in each discipline counting, along with all combined results (although the combined was nearly eliminated from the schedule, reduced to only 1 or 2 events per season).
This perennial tweaking of the scoring formula was a source of ongoing uncertainty to the World Cup racers and to fans. The need for a complete overhaul of the scoring system had grown increasingly urgent with each successive year, and in 1987–88 the FIS decided to fully simplify the system: all results would now count in each discipline and in the overall. This new system was an immediate success, and the practice of counting all results has been maintained in every subsequent season. With the ongoing expansion of the number and quality of competitors in World Cup races over the years, a major change to the scoring system was implemented in the 1991–92 season. The top 30 finishers in each race would now earn points, with 100 for the winner, 80 for second, 60 for third, and then decreasing by smaller increments for each lower place. The point values were adjusted slightly the following season (to reduce the points for places 4th through 20th), and the scoring system has not been changed again since that year. The table below compares the point values under all five scoring systems which have been in use:
''†NOTE: The scoring system changed during the 1978–79 season; this special system was used for the last 2 men's downhills and the last 3 races in every other discipline expect combined.''
During the past decade, the number of completed men's or women's World Cup races each year has ranged from 30 to 39,[2] so the maximum possible point total for an individual racer is about 3000–3900 under the current scoring system (although very few racers actually ski in all events; for example, Bode Miller was "the only skier to have competed in every World Cup race the past three seasons"[3] i.e 2003– 2005). The current record for total World Cup points in a season is Hermann Maier's 2000 points in 1999-2000, with the women's record of 1970 points set by Janica Kostelić in 2005–6. The fewest points for an overall champion under the current system thus far has been 1130 by Luc Alphand in 1996–97. The largest margin of victory in the overall has been Maier's 743 points in 2000-1, nearly doubling second place finisher Stephan Eberharter's total. The closest finishes since 1992 have been minuscule margins of 6 points in 1994-95 (Vreni Schneider over Katja Seizinger) and only 3 points in 2004-5 (Anja Pärson over Janica Kostelić).
The tables below contain a brief statistical analysis of the overall World Cup standings during the first 15 seasons after the Top 30 scoring system was implemented in 1991–92. In general, over 1000 points are needed to contend for the overall title. At least 1 man and 1 woman has scored 1000 points in each of these seasons, but no more than 5 men's or women's racers have crossed that threshold in any single season. Of the 30 men's and women's overall champions in these years, 28 scored over 1200 points, 21 had over 1300 points, 14 reached 1500 points, and 4 amassed more than 1700 points during their winning seasons. As for the runners-up, 26 of the 30 second-place finishers scored over 1000 points, 12 had over 1300 points, and only 2 reached 1500 points yet failed to win. Most overall titles have been won quite convincingly, by more than 300 points in 16 of 30 cases, while only 7 margins of victory have been tighter than 50 points.
The Nations Cup standings are calculated by adding up the point totals each season for all racers from a given nation.
The early years of the World Cup were largely dominated by the French ski team, as reflected in their Nations Cup wins in 5 of the first 6 years. The Austrian team then took over throughout the rest of the 1970s, followed by Swiss superiority during most of the 1980s. A resurgent Austrian team charged back to the top in 1990, beginning a long streak of conscutive Nations Cup triumphs. Austrian dominance reached its zenith in the late 1990s and 2000s, when their point total regularly doubled that of the second place finisher, and was capped in the 1999–2000 and 2003–4 seasons with totals that tripled those of runner-up Italy. Their 17927 point total in 1999–2000 is a Nations Cup record, as is their 12066 point margin of victory in 2003–4.
As of the end of the 2005–6 season, the Austrian team had won 17 consecutive Nations Cups, while topping the men's standings for 14 straight years and the women's for 8 in a row. In the midst of the ongoing Austrian juggernaut, the Swiss or Italian teams have usually held second place. The German team reached the runner-up spot for the first time in 1997–8, as did the Norwegians the next season. The USA enjoyed its best placings ever starting in 2004–5, grabbing second in the Nations Cup for two straight years.
Under the current scoring system, the winning nation (Austria every year) has averaged over 12900 points, with an average of 6400 for the runner-up, 5400 for third place, 4200 for fifth, and 1300 for tenth. The all-inclusive scoring system (simply adding together all World Cup points earned) favors national teams with great depth and many racers scoring World Cup points, and even teams with several top racers have no realistic chance of breaking the Austrian grip on the top spot, while a team with only one or two top-ranked racers will struggle to ever break the top five in the standings. There have been numerous calls for a revamped scoring system which would allow other nations to compete more readily for top spots in the Nations Cup, but no changes are likely to be made.[4]
The total number of top-three placings for each nation in the Nations Cup (through the 2006–7 season) are summarized below:
''NOTE: Results for West Germany and Germany are counted together in this table.''
The table below lists those nations which have won at least 1 World Cup race (as of February 23, 2007).
''NOTE: Results for West Germany and Germany are counted together in this table. All of Yugoslavia's wins are currently lumped in with Slovenia, since the skiers who won races for Yugoslavia all ended their careers racing for Slovenia, and thus are listed under Slovenia in online databases. The Soviet Union and Russia are counted separately.''
A total of 22 countries have won World Cup races, with 19 different countries winning men's and women's races. As expected, the top 9 nations in this list match the 9 nations listed in the Nations Cup summary table.
Some interesting tidbits can be found in the data: Marc Girardelli accounted for all of Luxembourg's 46 wins, while Janica Kostelić has 30 of Croatia's 38 (her brother Ivica has the rest) and Ingemar Stenmark still has nearly one-half of Sweden's 177 wins more than a decade after his retirement. Some nations specialize in either speed (downhill and Super G) or technical (Slalom and GS) disciplines, while others are strong across the board. Among nations with 30+ wins, the Canadian team has won 70% of its races in speed events, while Yugoslavia/Slovenia has won 94% and Sweden 91% of their races in technical events, especially remarkable in Sweden's case given its huge total of 177 wins. Several nations with under 20 wins have 100% of them in technical events, led by Finland and Spain. In contrast Germany and Norway have the most even distribution without disproportionate strength or weakness in any one discipline. Some nations have strong teams in only one gender, as 91% of Norway's wins have come from their men and 83% of Germany's from their women, while the American total is split almost equally.
★ 21 Years of World Cup Ski Racing, , Serge, Lang, Johnson Books / James Wotton, , Also available under ISBN 0-246-13116-0.
1. FIS NewsFlash, Edition 72, April 26th, 2006
2. See FIS document, "Analysis of races held 1994-2006": http://www.fis-ski.com/data/document/racessummary1.pdf
3. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05295/593141.stm
4. Black Diamonds: Nations Cup more than half empty
★ SkiWorldCup.org - History of the World Cup - by Serge Lang (see also ISHA: History of the World Cup)
★ FIS-ski.com - official results for FIS alpine World Cup events
★ Ski-db.com - World Cup results database
★ U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association
★ U.S. Ski Team
★ Alpine skiing at the Winter Olympics
★ FIS Alpine World Ski Championships
★ Skiing and Ski Topics
Competitors attempt to achieve the best time in four disciplines: slalom, giant slalom, Super G, and downhill. The fifth event, the combined, employs the downhill and slalom. The World Cup originally included only slalom, giant slalom, and downhill races. Combined events (calculated using results from selected downhill and slalom races) were included starting with the 1974–75 season, while the Super-G was added for the 1982–83 season. The current scoring system was implemented in the 1991–92 season. For every race points are awarded to the top 30 finishers: 100 points to the winner, 80 for second, 60 for third, winding down to 1 point for 30th place. The racer with the most points at the end of the season in mid-March wins the Cup, with the trophy consisting of a 9 kilogram crystal globe.[1] Sub-prizes are also awarded in each individual race discipline, with a smaller 3.5 kg crystal globe. (See the section on scoring system below for more information.)
The World Cup is held annually, and is considered the premier competition for alpine ski racing after the tetrannual Winter Olympics. Many consider the World Cup to be a more valuable title than the Olympics or the biannual World Championships, since it requires a competitor to ski at an extremely high level in several disciplines throughout the season (and not just in one race).
Lower competitive circuits include the ''NorAm Cup'' in North America and the ''Europa Cup'' in Europe.
Overall winners
Multiple overall World Cup wins are marked with (#). For a complete list of winners in each discipline,
see Alpine Skiing World Cup Men and Alpine Skiing World Cup Women.
Most overall World Cup titles
The following skiers have won multiple overall alpine World Cup titles.
Men
| Name | Country | Career | Overall World Cups | 'Discipline World Cups' | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Downhill | Super G | GS | Slalom | Combined | ||||
| Marc Girardelli | 1980–1996 | '5' | 2 | - | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
| Gustav Thöni | 1969–1980 | '4' | - | - | 3 | 2 | - | |
| Pirmin Zurbriggen | 1981–1990 | '4' | 2 | 4 | 3 | - | 3 | |
| Hermann Maier | 1996–active | '4' | 2 | 5 | 3 | - | - | |
| Ingemar Stenmark | 1973–1989 | '3' | - | - | 8 | 8 | - | |
| Phil Mahre | 1975–1984 | '3' | - | - | 2 | 1 | 4 | |
Women
| Name | Country | Career | Overall World Cups | 'Discipline World Cups' | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Downhill | Super G | GS | Slalom | Combined | ||||
| Annemarie Moser-Pröll | 1969–1980 | '6' | 7 | - | 3 | - | 2 | |
| Petra Kronberger | 1987–1992 | '3' | - | - | - | 1 | - | |
| Vreni Schneider | 1984–1995 | '3' | - | - | 5 | 6 | - | |
| Janica Kostelić | 1998–2006 | '3' | - | - | - | 3 | 4 | |
Most discipline World Cup titles
The records for most World Cup titles in each discipline are as follows:
Men
★ Downhill: Franz Klammer (), 5
★ Super G: Hermann Maier (), 5
★ Giant Slalom: Ingemar Stenmark (), 8
★ Slalom: Ingemar Stenmark (), 8
★ Combined: Kjetil André Aamodt (), 5
Women
★ Downhill: Annemarie Moser-Pröll (), 7
★ Super G: Katja Seizinger (), 5
★ Giant Slalom: Vreni Schneider (), 5
★ Slalom: Vreni Schneider (), 6
★ Combined: Brigitte Oertli () and Janica Kostelić (), 4
For a complete list of winners in each discipline, see Alpine Skiing World Cup Men and Alpine Skiing World Cup Women.
Most successful race winners
A common measurement on how good individual skiers are is often the total number of World Cup races won during the skiing career. The following skiers have won at least 20 World Cup races:
Men
| Pos. | Name | Country | Career | Victories | Downhill | Super G | Giant Slalom | Slalom | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ingemar Stenmark | 1973–1989 | '86' | - | - | 46 | 40 | - | |
| 2 | Hermann Maier | 1996–active | '53' | 15 | 23 | 14 | - | 1 | |
| 3 | Alberto Tomba | 1986–1998 | '50' | - | - | 15 | 35 | - | |
| 4 | Marc Girardelli | 1980–1996 | '46' | 3 | 9 | 7 | 16 | 11 | |
| 5 | Pirmin Zurbriggen | 1981–1990 | '40' | 10 | 10 | 7 | 2 | 11 | |
| 6 | Benjamin Raich | 1997–active | '29' | - | - | 11 | 13 | 5 | |
| 6 | Stephan Eberharter | 1989–2004 | '29' | 18 | 6 | 5 | - | - | |
| 8 | Phil Mahre | 1975–1984 | '27' | - | - | 7 | 9 | 11 | |
| 9 | Franz Klammer | 1972–1985 | '26' | 25 | - | - | - | 1 | |
| 10 | Bode Miller | 1997–active | '25' | 4 | 5 | 9 | 5 | 2 | |
| 11 | Peter Müller | 1977–1992 | '24' | 19 | 2 | - | - | 3 | |
| 11 | Gustav Thöni | 1969–1980 | '24' | - | - | 11 | 9 | 4 | |
| 13 | Michael Von Grünigen | 1989–2003 | '23' | - | - | 23 | - | - | |
| 14 | Kjetil André Aamodt | 1989–2006 | '21' | 1 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 8 |
Women
| Pos. | Name | Country | Career | Victories | Downhill | Super G | Giant Slalom | Slalom | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Annemarie Moser-Pröll | 1969–1980 | '62' | 36 | - | 16 | 3 | 7 | |
| 2 | Vreni Schneider | 1984–1995 | '55' | - | - | 20 | 34 | 1 | |
| 3 | Renate Götschl | 1993–active | '46' | 24 | 17 | - | 1 | 4 | |
| 4 | Katja Seizinger | 1989–1998 | '36' | 16 | 16 | 4 | - | - | |
| 5 | Anja Pärson | 1998–active | '35' | 3 | 3 | 11 | 18 | - | |
| 6 | Hanni Wenzel | 1972–1984 | '33' | 2 | - | 12 | 11 | 8 | |
| 7 | Erika Hess | 1978–1987 | '31' | - | - | 6 | 21 | 4 | |
| 8 | Janica Kostelić | 1998–2006 | '30' | 1 | 1 | 2 | 20 | 6 | |
| 9 | Michela Figini | 1983–1990 | '26' | 17 | 3 | 2 | - | 4 | |
| 10 | Maria Walliser | 1980–1990 | '25' | 14 | 3 | 6 | - | 2 | |
| 10 | Michaela Dorfmeister | 1991–2006 | '25' | 7 | 10 | 8 | - | - | |
| 12 | Pernilla Wiberg | 1990–2002 | '24' | 2 | 3 | 2 | 14 | 3 | |
| 12 | Marie-Theres Nadig | 1971–1981 | '24' | 13 | - | 6 | - | 5 | |
| 12 | Lise-Marie Morerod | 1973–1980 | '24' | - | - | 14 | 10 | - | |
| 15 | Carole Merle | 1981–1994 | '22' | - | 12 | 10 | - | - | |
| 16 | Hilde Gerg | 1993–2005 | '20' | 7 | 8 | - | 2 | 3 |
All-event winners
Only a few of the most versatile racers have ever managed to win races in all 5 World Cup alpine skiing disciplines during their career, as listed in the table below. Marc Girardelli (1988–89), Petra Kronberger (1990–91), and Janica Kostelić (2005–6) are the only skiers to have won all 5 events in a single season. Since the combined was not introduced until the 1974–75 season and the Super G until 1982–83, the following list also includes those racers who won races in all disciplines available during their World Cup careers (events not available are marked by NA).
Men
| Name | Country | Career | Victories | Downhill | Super G | Giant Slalom | Slalom | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marc Girardelli | 1980–1996 | '46' | 3 | 9 | 7 | 16 | 11 | |
| Pirmin Zurbriggen | 1981–1990 | '40' | 10 | 10 | 7 | 2 | 11 | |
| Bode Miller | 1997–active | '25' | 4 | 5 | 9 | 5 | 2 | |
| Kjetil André Aamodt | 1989–2006 | '21' | 1 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 8 | |
| Jean-Claude Killy | 1967–1968 | '18' | 6 | NA | 7 | 5 | NA | |
| Günther Mader | 1982–1998 | '14' | 1 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 4 | |
| Henri Duvillard | 1967–1973 | '6' | 3 | NA | 2 | 1 | NA |
Women
| Name | Country | Career | Victories | Downhill | Super G | Giant Slalom | Slalom | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annemarie Moser-Pröll | 1969–1980 | '62' | 36 | NA | 16 | 3 | 7 | |
| Janica Kostelić | 1998–2006 | '30' | 1 | 1 | 2 | 20 | 6 | |
| Pernilla Wiberg | 1990–2002 | '24' | 2 | 3 | 2 | 14 | 3 | |
| Petra Kronberger | 1987–1992 | '16' | 6 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | |
| Nancy Greene | 1967–1968 | '14' | 3 | NA | 8 | 3 | NA | |
| Françoise Macchi | 1968–1972 | '10' | 2 | NA | 6 | 2 | NA |
Most race wins in a single season
The following skiers have won at least 10 World Cup races in a single season (events not available in a given season are marked by NA):
Men
| Name | Country | Season | Victories | Downhill | Super G | Giant Slalom | Slalom | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ingemar Stenmark | 1978–79 | '13' | - | NA | 10 | 3 | - | |
| Hermann Maier | 2000–1 | '13' | 5 | 3 | 5 | - | - | |
| Jean-Claude Killy | 1967 | '12' | 5 | NA | 4 | 3 | NA | |
| Ingemar Stenmark | 1979–80 | '11' | - | NA | 6 | 5 | - | |
| Marc Girardelli | 1984–85 | '11' | - | 2 | 2 | 7 | - | |
| Pirmin Zurbriggen | 1986–87 | '11' | 5 | 1 | 3 | - | 2 | |
| Alberto Tomba | 1994–95 | '11' | - | - | 4 | 7 | - | |
| Ingemar Stenmark | 1976–77 | '10' | - | NA | 3 | 7 | - | |
| Ingemar Stenmark | 1980–81 | '10' | - | NA | 6 | 4 | - | |
| Hermann Maier | 1997–98 | '10' | 2 | 4 | 3 | - | 1 | |
| Hermann Maier | 1999–2000 | '10' | 3 | 4 | 3 | - | - | |
| Stephan Eberharter | 2001–2 | '10' | 6 | 3 | 1 | - | - |
Women
| Name | Country | Season | Victories | Downhill | Super G | Giant Slalom | Slalom | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vreni Schneider | 1988–89 | '14' | - | - | 6 | 7 | 1 | |
| Annemarie Moser-Pröll | 1972–73 | '11' | 8 | NA | 3 | - | NA | |
| Anja Pärson | 2003–4 | '11' | - | - | 5 | 6 | - | |
| Annemarie Moser-Pröll | 1974–75 | '10' | 2 | NA | 5 | - | 3 |
World Cup scoring system
The World Cup scoring system is based on awarding a number of points for each place in a race, but the procedure for doing so and the often-arcane method used to calculate the annual champions has varied greatly over the years. Originally, points were awarded only to the top 10 finishers in each race, with 25 points for the winner, 20 for second, 15 for third, 11 for fourth, 8 for fifth, 6 for sixth, 4 for seventh, and then decreasing by 1 point for each lower place. To determine the winner for each discipline World Cup, only a racer's best 3 results would count, even though there would typically be 6-8 races in each discipline. For the overall Cup, the best three results in each discipline would be summed. For the 1971–72 season, the number of results counted was increased to 5 in each discipline. The formula used to determine the overall winner varied almost every year over the next decade, with some seasons divided into two portions with a fixed number of results in each period counting towards the overall, while in other seasons the best 3 or 4 results in each discipline would count.
Starting with the 1979–80 season, points were awarded to the top 15 finishers in each race. After 1980–81, the formula for the overall title stabilized for several years, counting the best 5 results in the original disciplines (slalom, giant slalom, and downhill) plus the best 3 results in combined. When Super G events were introduced for the 1982–83 season, the results were included with giant slalom for the first three seasons, before a separate discipline Cup was awarded starting in 1985–86 and the top 3 Super G results were counted towards the overall. The formula for the overall was changed yet again the following season, with the top 4 results in each discipline counting, along with all combined results (although the combined was nearly eliminated from the schedule, reduced to only 1 or 2 events per season).
This perennial tweaking of the scoring formula was a source of ongoing uncertainty to the World Cup racers and to fans. The need for a complete overhaul of the scoring system had grown increasingly urgent with each successive year, and in 1987–88 the FIS decided to fully simplify the system: all results would now count in each discipline and in the overall. This new system was an immediate success, and the practice of counting all results has been maintained in every subsequent season. With the ongoing expansion of the number and quality of competitors in World Cup races over the years, a major change to the scoring system was implemented in the 1991–92 season. The top 30 finishers in each race would now earn points, with 100 for the winner, 80 for second, 60 for third, and then decreasing by smaller increments for each lower place. The point values were adjusted slightly the following season (to reduce the points for places 4th through 20th), and the scoring system has not been changed again since that year. The table below compares the point values under all five scoring systems which have been in use:
| Place | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current System 1993– | 100 | 80 | 60 | 50 | 45 | 40 | 36 | 32 | 29 | 26 | 24 | 22 | 20 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 1992 System 1992 | 100 | 80 | 60 | 55 | 51 | 47 | 43 | 40 | 37 | 34 | 31 | 28 | 26 | 24 | 22 | 20 | 18 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Top 15 System 1980–1991 | 25 | 20 | 15 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | |||||||||||||||
| 1979 System †1979 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | |||||
| Original System 1967–1979 | 25 | 20 | 15 | 11 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
''†NOTE: The scoring system changed during the 1978–79 season; this special system was used for the last 2 men's downhills and the last 3 races in every other discipline expect combined.''
Statistical Analysis
During the past decade, the number of completed men's or women's World Cup races each year has ranged from 30 to 39,[2] so the maximum possible point total for an individual racer is about 3000–3900 under the current scoring system (although very few racers actually ski in all events; for example, Bode Miller was "the only skier to have competed in every World Cup race the past three seasons"[3] i.e 2003– 2005). The current record for total World Cup points in a season is Hermann Maier's 2000 points in 1999-2000, with the women's record of 1970 points set by Janica Kostelić in 2005–6. The fewest points for an overall champion under the current system thus far has been 1130 by Luc Alphand in 1996–97. The largest margin of victory in the overall has been Maier's 743 points in 2000-1, nearly doubling second place finisher Stephan Eberharter's total. The closest finishes since 1992 have been minuscule margins of 6 points in 1994-95 (Vreni Schneider over Katja Seizinger) and only 3 points in 2004-5 (Anja Pärson over Janica Kostelić).
The tables below contain a brief statistical analysis of the overall World Cup standings during the first 15 seasons after the Top 30 scoring system was implemented in 1991–92. In general, over 1000 points are needed to contend for the overall title. At least 1 man and 1 woman has scored 1000 points in each of these seasons, but no more than 5 men's or women's racers have crossed that threshold in any single season. Of the 30 men's and women's overall champions in these years, 28 scored over 1200 points, 21 had over 1300 points, 14 reached 1500 points, and 4 amassed more than 1700 points during their winning seasons. As for the runners-up, 26 of the 30 second-place finishers scored over 1000 points, 12 had over 1300 points, and only 2 reached 1500 points yet failed to win. Most overall titles have been won quite convincingly, by more than 300 points in 16 of 30 cases, while only 7 margins of victory have been tighter than 50 points.
| Men's Overall World Cup | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Races Completed | 1st Place Points | Margin of Victory | 2nd Place Points | 3rd Place Points | Number of Skiers per Season: | |||
| > 1000 Pts | > 500 Pts | > 200 Pts | ||||||
| Maximum | 38 | 2000 | 743 | 1454 | 1307 | 5 | 19 | 43 |
| Average | 34.5 | 1473 | 318 | 1155 | 991 | 2.5 | 14 | 40 |
| Minimum | 30 | 1130 | 23 | 775 | 760 | 1 | 8 | 37 |
| Women's Overall World Cup | ||||||||
| Races Completed | 1st Place Points | Margin of Victory | 2nd Place Points | 3rd Place Points | Number of Skiers per Season: | |||
| > 1000 Pts | > 500 Pts | > 200 Pts | ||||||
| Maximum | 39 | 1970 | 536 | 1662 | 1391 | 5 | 19 | 45 |
| Average | 33.1 | 1522 | 247 | 1275 | 1098 | 3 | 13 | 38 |
| Minimum | 30 | 1248 | 3 | 931 | 904 | 1 | 10 | 32 |
| Men's and Women's Overall World Cups: Total Numbers Across 15 Seasons | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| > 1700 Pts | > 1500 Pts | > 1300 Pts | > 1200 Pts | > 1100 Pts | > 1000 Pts | > 900 Pts | > 800 Pts | |
| First Place | 4 | 14 | 21 | 28 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 |
| Second Place | - | 2 | 12 | 16 | 19 | 26 | 28 | 29 |
| Third Place | - | - | 3 | 4 | 9 | 18 | 25 | 29 |
| > 600 Pts | > 500 Pts | > 400 Pts | > 300 Pts | > 200 Pts | > 100 Pts | >= 50 Pts | < 50 Pts | |
| Margin of Victory | 2 | 5 | 9 | 16 | 19 | 21 | 23 | 7 |
Nations Cup
The Nations Cup standings are calculated by adding up the point totals each season for all racers from a given nation.
The early years of the World Cup were largely dominated by the French ski team, as reflected in their Nations Cup wins in 5 of the first 6 years. The Austrian team then took over throughout the rest of the 1970s, followed by Swiss superiority during most of the 1980s. A resurgent Austrian team charged back to the top in 1990, beginning a long streak of conscutive Nations Cup triumphs. Austrian dominance reached its zenith in the late 1990s and 2000s, when their point total regularly doubled that of the second place finisher, and was capped in the 1999–2000 and 2003–4 seasons with totals that tripled those of runner-up Italy. Their 17927 point total in 1999–2000 is a Nations Cup record, as is their 12066 point margin of victory in 2003–4.
As of the end of the 2005–6 season, the Austrian team had won 17 consecutive Nations Cups, while topping the men's standings for 14 straight years and the women's for 8 in a row. In the midst of the ongoing Austrian juggernaut, the Swiss or Italian teams have usually held second place. The German team reached the runner-up spot for the first time in 1997–8, as did the Norwegians the next season. The USA enjoyed its best placings ever starting in 2004–5, grabbing second in the Nations Cup for two straight years.
Under the current scoring system, the winning nation (Austria every year) has averaged over 12900 points, with an average of 6400 for the runner-up, 5400 for third place, 4200 for fifth, and 1300 for tenth. The all-inclusive scoring system (simply adding together all World Cup points earned) favors national teams with great depth and many racers scoring World Cup points, and even teams with several top racers have no realistic chance of breaking the Austrian grip on the top spot, while a team with only one or two top-ranked racers will struggle to ever break the top five in the standings. There have been numerous calls for a revamped scoring system which would allow other nations to compete more readily for top spots in the Nations Cup, but no changes are likely to be made.[4]
The total number of top-three placings for each nation in the Nations Cup (through the 2006–7 season) are summarized below:
| Nation | 'Total Standings' | 'Men's Standings' | 'Women's Standings' | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First | Second | Third | First | Second | Third | First | Second | Third | |||
| 29 | 12 | - | 30 | 9 | 1 | 22 | 12 | 4 | |||
| 7 | 19 | 8 | 5 | 20 | 12 | 9 | 7 | 7 | |||
| 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 5 | |||
| - | 4 | 11 | 3 | 5 | 13 | - | 1 | 4 | |||
| - | 2 | 11 | - | 2 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 7 | |||
| - | 1 | 9 | - | - | 1 | 3 | 11 | 12 | |||
| - | 1 | - | - | 2 | 7 | - | - | - | |||
| - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | |||
| - | - | - | - | - | 2 | - | 1 | 1 | |||
''NOTE: Results for West Germany and Germany are counted together in this table.''
Nations which have won World Cup races
The table below lists those nations which have won at least 1 World Cup race (as of February 23, 2007).
| Nation | 'Total Victories' | 'Victories by Discipline' | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men | Women | Both | Downhill | Super G | Giant Slalom | Slalom | Combined | ||
| 376 | 297 | '673' | 264 | 103 | 144 | 125 | 37 | ||
| 215 | 264 | '479' | 171 | 36 | 134 | 88 | 50 | ||
| 98 | 141 | '239' | 51 | 27 | 59 | 101 | 1 | ||
| 146 | 58 | '204' | 35 | 18 | 67 | 79 | 5 | ||
| 111 | 66 | '177' | 5 | 8 | 67 | 94 | 3 | ||
| 30 | 143 | '173' | 44 | 44 | 37 | 38 | 10 | ||
| 89 | 83 | '172' | 46 | 14 | 38 | 56 | 18 | ||
| 79 | 8 | '87' | 19 | 14 | 22 | 19 | 13 | ||
| 26 | 34 | '60' | 36 | 6 | 12 | 5 | 1 | ||
| 23 | 36 | '59' | 5 | 2 | 17 | 21 | 14 | ||
| 22 | 28 | '50' | 1 | 3 | 13 | 33 | - | ||
| 46 | - | '46' | 3 | 9 | 7 | 16 | 11 | ||
| 8 | 30 | '38' | 1 | 1 | 2 | 27 | 7 | ||
| 13 | 5 | '18' | - | - | 4 | 14 | - | ||
| 1 | 10 | '11' | - | - | 7 | 4 | - | ||
| - | 5 | '5' | - | - | - | 5 | - | ||
| - | 5 | '5' | 4 | 1 | - | - | - | ||
| 5 | - | '5' | 1 | - | 3 | 1 | - | ||
| 2 | 1 | '3' | 1 | 1 | - | 1 | - | ||
| - | 3 | '3' | 1 | - | - | 1 | 1 | ||
| 1 | 1 | '2' | - | - | - | 2 | - | ||
| 1 | - | '1' | - | - | - | 1 | - | ||
| Totals | 1292 | 1218 | '2510' | 688 | 287 | 633 | 731 | 171 | |
''NOTE: Results for West Germany and Germany are counted together in this table. All of Yugoslavia's wins are currently lumped in with Slovenia, since the skiers who won races for Yugoslavia all ended their careers racing for Slovenia, and thus are listed under Slovenia in online databases. The Soviet Union and Russia are counted separately.''
A total of 22 countries have won World Cup races, with 19 different countries winning men's and women's races. As expected, the top 9 nations in this list match the 9 nations listed in the Nations Cup summary table.
Some interesting tidbits can be found in the data: Marc Girardelli accounted for all of Luxembourg's 46 wins, while Janica Kostelić has 30 of Croatia's 38 (her brother Ivica has the rest) and Ingemar Stenmark still has nearly one-half of Sweden's 177 wins more than a decade after his retirement. Some nations specialize in either speed (downhill and Super G) or technical (Slalom and GS) disciplines, while others are strong across the board. Among nations with 30+ wins, the Canadian team has won 70% of its races in speed events, while Yugoslavia/Slovenia has won 94% and Sweden 91% of their races in technical events, especially remarkable in Sweden's case given its huge total of 177 wins. Several nations with under 20 wins have 100% of them in technical events, led by Finland and Spain. In contrast Germany and Norway have the most even distribution without disproportionate strength or weakness in any one discipline. Some nations have strong teams in only one gender, as 91% of Norway's wins have come from their men and 83% of Germany's from their women, while the American total is split almost equally.
References
★ 21 Years of World Cup Ski Racing, , Serge, Lang, Johnson Books / James Wotton, , Also available under ISBN 0-246-13116-0.
1. FIS NewsFlash, Edition 72, April 26th, 2006
2. See FIS document, "Analysis of races held 1994-2006": http://www.fis-ski.com/data/document/racessummary1.pdf
3. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05295/593141.stm
4. Black Diamonds: Nations Cup more than half empty
External Links
★ SkiWorldCup.org - History of the World Cup - by Serge Lang (see also ISHA: History of the World Cup)
★ FIS-ski.com - official results for FIS alpine World Cup events
★ Ski-db.com - World Cup results database
★ U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association
★ U.S. Ski Team
See also
★ Alpine skiing at the Winter Olympics
★ FIS Alpine World Ski Championships
★ Skiing and Ski Topics
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