Audi quattro Winter Games to host para-alpine skiers

“Most of our races are in North America and Europe so it's always really exciting to get the opportunity to race on home soil."

Audi quattro Winter Games New Zealand 2015 will feature a packed 10-day programme of world-class sporting action this August, including two IPC Alpine Skiing Southern Hemisphere Cup events that will attract some of the best para-alpine ski racers in the world.

The current downhill and super-G dual world champion and Sochi 2014 Paralympic giant slalom silver medallist, Corey Peters, and Vancouver 2010 slalom champion, Adam Hall, are expected to represent New Zealand. Both athletes have their winter base in Wanaka after returning from the northern hemisphere season.

The slalom race takes place on Monday (24 August) with the giant slalom the following day. Coronet Peak, near Queenstown, will host both events at its Rocky Gully Race Arena.

In 2009, Winter Games NZ made global snow sports history by combining adaptive and able-bodied athletes in a high performance event. Audi quattro Winter Games NZ CEO Arthur Klap said he was proud of this tradition and was looking forward to welcoming adaptive athletes back to the Southern Alps this winter.

“From the very beginning we put adaptive events at the heart of our sports programme. Providing a platform for New Zealand adaptive ski racers to compete against the best in the world on home snow can only help with the development of our inspirational athletes and the sport as a whole,” he said.

“The success of homegrown stars like Corey Peters, Adam Hall and snowboarder Carl Murphy has put New Zealand adaptive snow sports on the map. There are huge benefits in staging elite-level competition for adaptive athletes at the same time and venues such as FIS World Cup and other events – not only from a financial point of view, but also to maximise media coverage and encourage grassroots participation.”

Peters said he had enjoyed a fantastic 12 months starting with a successful campaign in Sochi and, more recently, his IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships titles in Panorama, Canada.

“Most of our races are in North America and Europe so it's always really exciting to get the opportunity to race on home soil. There are a lot of people that put in a huge amount of effort to make these events possible so I'm really pumped to be involved and get the chance to bring more exposure to the sport and showcase some of our skills,” he said.

Audi quattro Winter Games NZ 2015 also features four FIS Freestyle Skiing and Snowboard World Cups plus Big Air Continental Cups all at Cardrona Alpine Resort; three FIS Cross-Country Skiing Australia New Zealand Cup (ANC) races at Snow Farm NZ; two FIS Alpine Skiing ANC races at Coronet Peak; and an international curling tournament in Naseby.

Further additions to the sports programme and details of the Games’ exciting downtown festival programme of live music, film and entertainment will be announced soon.

Audi quattro Winter Games NZ 2015 takes place from 21 to 30 August in Queenstown, Lake Wanaka and Naseby.

All events are free to watch for spectators (ski pass required to access lifts) and will be shown free to air on TV3. More information is available at the event’s website and its social media channels.