Everybody agrees that the FIS Tour de Ski is a great development for the FIS Cross-Country World Cup, but it is still a baby that needs support and guidelines to develop and grow up. For the third edition, the FIS Cross-Country Committee led by Chairman Vegard Ulvang reviewed the rules and made some small adaptations at the FIS Congress in Cape Town this spring.
The exclusion rules in interval start races were more specified: over distances of up to 5 km, athletes may not to loose more than 18 % (women) or 15 % (men) to the winning time to be allowed to continue in the Tour. In interval start competitions over 5 km the limit is 23% for the women and 20% for the men.
At the third edition of the FIS Tour de Ski, in addition to the top ten of the Tour ranking and the top three of each day, the current Tour leader will receive prize money after each stage as well as the top three of the Tour Team Cup that will be honored with 20'000 CHF (for all three; 10'000 for the best team). In total, the amount of 930.000,00 (or 920'000??)CHF will be awarded in prize money to the best and most complete Cross-Country skiers.
Another novelty is that during the 2008/09 Tour de Ski, the top 30 athletes, as opposed to the top 15 in the past, can earn World Cup points at each Stage (1st=50 points, ...30rd=1 points) in addition to the World Cup points for the entire series (400 points for winner). But to receive any of these points, the athlete has to finish the complete competition series.
Please click here to see all the rules of the 2008/09 FIS Tour de Ski.