MINNEAPOLIS, April 30, 2023 — The best cross-country ski racers in the world will be gathering at Minneapolis’s Wirth Park over President’s Day weekend, Feb. 17-19, 2024, as the FIS Cross Country World Cup Tour comes to the U.S. for a weekend of sprint and distance races. The World Cup Tour is the annual global tour for elite athletes, comprised of a series of distance and sprint races throughout each winter season. The Minneapolis races will mark the first time the FIS World Cup has stopped in the U.S. in more than two decades.

The Minneapolis-based Loppet Foundation, the Share Winter Foundation, and U.S. Ski & Snowboard will serve as host to the Loppet Cup, which is set to be held in the City’s Wirth Park, an area known for its world-class cross-country ski trails, and its’ uniqueness as one of the only World Cup venues staged in a major metropolitan area.

In a press conference Sunday, Loppet Foundation Executive Director Claire Wilson spoke to the press and audience about the Foundation’s excitement as it was ready to welcome fans and share the magic of a World Cup race. “We could not be more excited to put on the world stage the work we do here, to create an inclusive and welcoming environment for all who love the outdoors and particularly the winter. She continued: “We could not make this happen without our cohost, Share Winter, who is joining us to make this event free to the public. It will be the first time an international sporting event of this size is free and open to the public.”  

Olympian Jesse Diggins speaks at Sunday’s Press Conference (Photo Credit: US Ski and Snowboard)

Along with Wilson at the podium was three-time U.S. Olympic medalist and Minnesota native Jessie Diggins. Diggins along with relay teammate Kikkan Randall was the first Americans to win a gold medal in Olympic cross-country skiing. In February, when FIS initially awarded the race to Minneapolis, Diggins told the media at the time she was: “…excited to give ski fans from around the U.S. a chance to see the action up close for the first time in over 20 years. I am so proud to represent Minnesota as one of the first American athletes to win Olympic gold in cross country, and now to bring the sport I love to the state I call home.”

On Sunday, Diggins went deeper recalling her desire as a young athlete to see a World Cup race. “I would have given anything to see the World Cup live! In order to watch world cups when I was growing up [I had to] watch VHS tapes in the basement with my dad, [older] races that had finished two years earlier.” Diggins was excited that, unlike her own experience, today’s fans and young racers would have a first-hand, in-person experience to enjoy World Cup action. “I mean, imagine getting to see the best athletes in the world, in a sport you love, and getting close enough to [figuratively] reach out and touch them as they’re racing. She ended by saying: “In a sport like this, you have the opportunity to line the courses…like a front-row seat to the action”. Diggins hoped that the experience would become a springboard, inspiring young and old alike to become excited and involved in the sport.

The Minneapolis Loppet Cup was originally scheduled to take place in March 2020 but was canceled by the International Ski Federation due to concerns about COVID-19 at the time. It was clear that organizers, fans, and athletes were happy to see its return. “We are thrilled to work with the Loppet Foundation and Share Winter Foundation to bring back a cross-country World Cup to the states,” said President and CEO of U.S. Ski & Snowboard Sophie Goldschmidt. “We know that this event will be a huge success and allow our athletes to showcase their incredible talent in front of a community that has always supported this sport.”  

Diggins and her U.S. Cross Country Ski Team teammates will now have a unique chance to ski in front of a hometown crowd and on home snow! The first races of the FIS Cross Country World Cup will kick off the season in Ruka, Finland on November 24th. Canmore, Canada will be the only other stop in North America and will be held February 9th – 11th.

The Loppet Foundation contributed to this story.

ABOUT THE LOPPET FOUNDATION – The Loppet Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that connects people to the outdoors through experiences that grow community. Since 2002, the Loppet Foundation has worked to create high-quality public events, youth education, and outdoor recreation programs for the local community. Learn more at loppet.org.

ABOUT SHARE WINTER –  Share Winter Foundation (Share Winter) is a non-profit grantmaking organization working to improve the lives, health, and fitness of youth through winter sports, and create a more diverse, inclusive, and welcoming winter sports community. Share Winter works closely with carefully selected grantees to build efficient, effective, sustainable winter sports programs and pipelines to ongoing winter sports participation. Through our partnerships, we strive to make winter sports accessible to a broader, more diverse community and share winter with 100,000 youth by 2028. Learn more at www.sharewinterfoundation.org.