The 2025 Virtus Nordic Skiing Championships Declared Open In Bessans, France

The 2025 Virtus Nordic Skiing Championships was declared open in the city of Bessans, France, yesterday. Athletes from six countries, Estonia, France, Italy, Japan, Neutral banner (Russia) and Sweden marched proudly during the opening ceremony whilst waving their flags. The athletes enjoyed local folk dance and music at the ceremony.

Some of the notable people who attended the opening ceremony were Jérémy Tracq, Town Mayor of Bessans, Virtus and FFSA president, Marc Truffaut, Cristian Grange, Vice-President of the Department of Savoie in charge of sports, Sandrine Chaix, Vice-Présidente de la Région Auvergne- Rhône-Alpesdéléguée au handicap and Pascal Andrieux and Valerie Chatelin from FFSA’s primary sponsors Malakoff Humanis attended the opening ceremony alongside all the international delegations and athletes.

Welcoming the athletes to the city of Bessans, Jérémy Tracq, Town Mayor of Bessans, said,

“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. I hope you all have a great competition here.”

Cristian Grange, Vice-President of the Department of Savoie in charge of sports, shared his hopes to see fully integrated games with athletes with an intellectual impairment included in the French Alps 2030.

“In 2030, the French Alps will host the biggest sporting event on the planet: the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. This will be an exceptional opportunity to promote our mountains and all their riches in the eyes of the whole world. I sincerely hope that these World Championships will serve as a springboard to see the French Federation of Adapted Sport recognised as it should be, and that your skiers are fully integrated into the 2030 Paralympic Games.”

Addressing Virtus’s ongoing efforts to push for the re-inclusion of skiing at the Winter Paralympic Games, Marc Truffaut said,

“Virtus has been liaising with FIS, IPC and other stakeholders to push for the re-inclusion of skiing events at the Winter Paralympic Games. To further support the efforts, Virtus is launching the ‘Winter Paralymic Re-Inclusion’ campaign. We want to invite everyone from athletes to NPCs, to the fans and advocates, to support our efforts to create a fair and inclusive sporting world for athletes with an intellectual impairment.”

Sandrine Chaix also shared her vision of seeing athletes with intellectual impairment at the Winter Paralympic Games.

“This world championship, hosted in France, is an exceptional opportunity to change the way people look at your disabilities, to better know and recognize adapted sport on a national and international level with the relay of all the participating countries, which I warmly welcome. 

“This championship is of particular importance because it allows us to show the international and Paralympic sports bodies your capabilities, strength and resilience and why you should have your place at the next Paralympic Games.”

The event will run until the 15th of March at the Le Carreley sports complex within Bessans resort that is located in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region and the Savoie department (73). Athletes will be competing across various events under all the three competition classes – II1, II2 and II3.

More information is available on the competition website.