Jérémy TRACQ
Town Mayor of Bessans

The resort of Bessans is delighted and honoured to be hosting the 13th Virtus World Skiing Nordic Championships.

Renowned for its guaranteed early snowfall, Bessans was once again the first resort in France to open its ski area, in November 2024.

As a result, Bessans regularly plays host to the best Nordic athletes, both for their preparation and for national and international events.

Everyone involved, especially the volunteers, is very committed to inclusion and to all the initiatives that promote access to sport for as many people as possible.

That’s why, at the heart of a season packed with competitions, we are delighted to organise this World Championship.

The Fédération Française du Sport Adapté is working hard to ensure that skiing is fully recognised and included in the 2030 Winter Paralympic Games to be hosted by the French Alpes.

The resort of Bessans intends to make its contribution, by sharing not only the quality of its infrastructure, but also its experience in organising events.

We’ll be happy to help write the history of intellectually disabled sport, alongside the Federation and all those involved.

DESCRIPTIONS OF THE COMPETITION VENUES

Located at an altitude of 1750 m, Bessans is a traditional village, typical of Haute Maurienne, bordering the Vanoise National Park and Italy. This authentic, family-friendly village is steeped in tradition and boasts a rich cultural heritage. Situated on a vast, sun-drenched plateau, snowcovered from November to April, Bessans, a village surrounded by glaciers and peaks over 3,000 metres, has become one of the undisputed references for nordic skiing and biathlon, both in France and internationally. Bessans is also the first French Nordic resort to open every year. Thanks to the snowfarming technique, a piste is accessible as early as November, and every year the professional teams gather in Bessans to enjoy the snow and the quality of the international biathlon stadium. Summer or winter, Bessans is another world where another language is spoken, where the key words are mountaineering, racing, climbing school, refuges, ice climbing, canyoning, via ferrata, hiking and ski touring. With its FIS-certified tracks and key role in the French Alpes 2030 project, the Bessans resort— renowned for its top-notch facilities and guaranteed snow thanks to snow farming and snowmaking technologies—provides an ideal setting for this championship

The competition will take place at Le Carreley sports complex. The Bessans resort is located in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region and the Savoie department (73).

Adress :  ESPACE SPORTIF LE CARRELEY,

Rue des Conchettes

73480 Bessans 

SPORT INFORMATION

• Rest area

The competition site is located on the Carreley biathlon stadium. It is located right next to the Carreley building (4 min walk).

Toilets: Toilets are available on the competition site and there are also toilets in the Carreley building.

Rest area: Each delegation will have a place under a tent next to the finish and start area. Each tent is heated and has an electric socket. To warm up and wait, you can also go to the rest area in the Carreley building.

• Track formats

The races will take place on two FIS-approved pistes. In the event of a lack of snow, the resort and the pistes have back-up snow to guarantee that the races can continue.

Each athlete will have his or her own race number, which we will collect at the end of each race to make sure you don’t forget. We give them to you at the end of the competition.

Individual, Relay and Mass Start races (loops 2.5 km)

Certification number : 22/64.02/2.5

Sprint races (loop 1.3 km)

Certification number : 22/64.01/1.3

• Waxing Charter

The organising committee is committed to respecting no-fluorine races in the interests of environmental ecology and equity.

A waxing protocol will be applied to the free skiing events.

Delegations are obliged to respect this charter.

• Relay

The men’s relay consists of 3 athletes for a total distance of 7.5km. Each athlete must complete a 2.5km loop.

The women’s relay consists of 2 athletes for a total distance of 5 km. Each athlete must complete a 2.5km loop.