The most-watched slalom race in the world

According to info from the International Ski Federation (FIS), the men’s slalom race on Sljeme was the most-watched ski race of the last season, seen live by 12.5 million viewers. The female slalom race on Sljeme also ranked high as the second most-watched female ski race.

The men’s Vip Snow Queen Trophy slalom race of the FIS World Cup, which takes place at the beginning of each year on Sljeme Mountain, was the most-watched ski race in the world last season. This information was recently released by the International Ski Federation (FIS), during its committee conference held in Slovenia, where it was announced that the men’s race in Sljeme was watched live on television by 12.5 million viewers worldwide. After the race on Zagreb’s Sljeme, the second most-watched men’s race was the slalom in Adelbolden, with 11.4 million viewers. Adelbolden also holds third place, with 10.4 million viewers for the giant slalom race, while Kitzbühel came fourth with 10.2 million viewers.

Aside from the slalom race for men, among the most-watched ski races of the last season was the female slalom race on Sljeme. It was watched live on television by 8.9 million people, making it the second most-watched race after the Semmering race, which was watched by 12.5 million people. In third place for the most-watched female slalom race was the one held in Cortina, which was watched by 6.8 million viewers.

Thanks to the world-class Croatian skiers, Janica and Ivica Kostelić, slalom races for both men and women have been attracting numerous spectators to Sljeme, as well as in front of television screens at home, since the beginning. The popularity of these events is due to the unique festive atmosphere, which is unusual for skiing competitions: the audiences selflessly support and cheer for every contestant. This is why these races attract not only the best skiers to Zagreb, but also the attention of numerous television networks, which make them among the most-watched races of the entire Alpine Ski World Cup. Organized within the framework of this competition, there is also a humanitarian race in which current and former world-class skiers participate.