More competitions, more action - and a title that crowns the best logger sports athletes across three countries. From this season, the national STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® series from Germany, Switzerland and Austria will unite to form an international championship. For the athletes, this means that the competitive pressure will increase, as the number of participants will triple. Similar championships have already been held in the Scandinavian countries and in the Benelux region for several years.
The new structure ensures that the athletes no longer only have their sights set on their national title, but are primarily competing for the title of DACH champion. For the respective serial winners of the pros, Danny Martin (five-time German champion), Armin Kugler (eight-time national champion in Austria) and record winner Christophe Geissler (twelve-time title winner in Switzerland), it is likely to be particularly exciting, as their supremacy is in jeopardy. ‘For me, they are all good friends, but also strong competitors,’ says Danny Martin.
The championship will see athletes compete across three competitions, ending with the grand final on 30/31 August in Wildhaus/Switzerland. ‘The ambitious competition structure increases the appeal of the sport for spectators,’ says STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® Manager Christin Rathke, ’only those who perform strongly in all disciplines will have the chance to win the championship.’
The mode:
The first hurdle is the qualifications at the German base in Mellrichstadt (Bavaria), which take place on the first two weekends of April. There, the pro and rookie athletes collect points in all disciplines. The twelve athletes with the most points go through to the semi-finals. The four most successful athletes per country from the previous season, including the three national champions Martin, Kugler and Geissler, are automatically seeded for the semi-finals.
Three semi-finals will be held in Germany and Austria over the summer: on 17 May in Oberammergau in Bavaria, and on 14 and 15 June in Linsburg (Lower Saxony). The Austrian venue will be Neuhaus an der Donau on 9/10 August.
After the semi-finals, the top four from each country from the previous season and the four best from the semi-final ranking will head to the final to determine the ultimate champion. The final will take place on the last weekend of August in Wildhaus, Switzerland, where the best rookies and women will also be competing against each other.
‘We hope that this new, international competition structure will enable us to remain internationally competitive,’ says Christin Rathke. ‘We want to keep up with other European countries and the nations overseas such as Canada, the USA, New Zealand and Australia.’
