The VM organizer in Narvik says prestige:

According to plan, the women's World Cup races were to be held in Narvik in March 2027. Now the board in Narvik 2029 has chosen to withdraw from the organization responsibility. – Quite unmemorable, says Eirik Frantzen, chairman of Narvik 2029 AS. In retrospect, it was ambitious to complete the facility by 2027, according to Frantzen. – Respects the decision – The decision was made after a collective assessment of the risks associated with organizing a World Cup race in a completely new facility already in 2027, they write in a press release. On October 9th, representatives from the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) were in Narvik to inspect the facility. The verdict was disappointing: "Nothing is ready" in Narvikfjellet, stated race director Peter Gerdol of the FIS after his first inspection. The risk that the work will not be finished on time is high, according to the board. – We have full understanding of and respect for the decision. Formally, we must see if we can organize the World Cup races elsewhere, says Terje Lund of the Norwegian Ski Federation. – Great uncertainty – The board has based their assessment on the evaluations from the FIS inspection of the facility on October 8th and 9th, as well as a professional assessment of the facility's status and progress. Both assessments point to too much uncertainty to organize World Cup races now in a completely new facility. The slope, snow facilities, lifts, and safety were all still missing before the World Cup races in March. – I respect the decision. There is no easy decision. It is a very difficult job to make this facility ready. This is among the most complicated facilities I have ever seen in terms of terrain, says Peter Gerdol of the FIS. If the facility were to be ready by March, snow production would have had to start in December. – We did what we could In the digital press conference, the organizers in Narvik repeated several times that the decision does not affect the main goal; namely, the championship in 2029. They were also clear that there was an ambition to organize the World Cup races in March 2027, but that it had always been listed as "to be confirmed" in the schedule. They were also asked if there was anything they could have done differently in the planning. Ragnar Norum rejected this firmly. He is the managing director of Narvikfjellet Allmenn AS. – It was ambitious to go for the World Cup in 2027. We did what we could. And then a decision was made now that the risk was too high. Alpine World Championships in 2029 According to NRK's alpine expert Lars Elton Myhre, this can have consequences for the World Championships in 2029. – There must be more events to test the facilities, staff, and the whole package. If it happens this year, then something must happen next year. In that sense, it is quite central to be able to achieve what is planned for this year, said Myhre earlier in October. The decision to withdraw from the World Cup does not change the ambitions for the 2029 World Championships, writes the board. – On the contrary, it is about ensuring that resources are used in a way that provides the best possible conditions for delivering a championship of the highest international quality. In direct questions from NRK, Peter Gerdol of the FIS answers that he is not worried about the championship itself two and a half years later. – I have seen great progress in the last period and am not worried.