Virtus Para Nordic skiing: the 2025 World Championships at home
A few days ago, we learned that the 2025 World Vortus World Nordic Skiing Championships would be held from 9 to 14 March in the Savoy resort of Bessans. Naturally, the French team, who were in training at La Féclaz (Savoie) at the time, were delighted when the decision was made official.
éIt’s great news, they’re all really happy, their coach Elisa Favre Felix tells Nordic Magazine. Firstly, to be able to take part in the World Championships, because last year’s were cancelled at the last minute. Secondly, because Bessans is a place we go to regularly, so we’ll be on familiar ground, which will be a real advantage for us.”
These World Championships organised in France will also be an opportunity to highlight the discipline of Virtus Para Nordic Skiing – a competition reserved for people with an intellectual disability (mental handicap) or mental disorder – to defend its inclusion in the 2030 French Alps Paralympic Games.
Elisa Favre Felix confirms: “France submitted a bid with a view to organising a great event in the run-up to the Paralympic Games. The aim is to show the FIS and Virtus [the world governing body for adapted sport] that we are capable of organising the World Championships and getting adapted sport recognised as a discipline at the Games.”
Invisible adapted sport at the Paralympic Games
At present, adapted sport is completely absent from the Winter Paralympic Games, and is only present in para athletics, para swimming and para table tennis at the Summer Games. “It’s not too late yet”, says the French coach, while an application has also been submitted for para alpine skiing, for which the World Championships will be held in Tignes (Savoie) next year.
The French team’s preparation for this world event on home soil will take the form of one training session a month on cross-country skis in Bessans.
“This will enable us to prepare for the World Championships and get to grips with the venue, explains Elisa Favre Felix. As part of one of these events, we’ll be taking part in the Bessans Marathon in January, where we’ll be qualifying for the World Championships. In addition, the athletes will be running races on their own, in their own regional committees.”
The full make-up of the French Para Nordic ski team
- Manon Petitnicolas 🇫🇷
- Léa Thiroux 🇫🇷
- Gaël Salomon 🇫🇷
- Yann Guebey 🇫🇷
- Titouan Dubois 🇫🇷
- Aaron Portner 🇫🇷
- Clément Colomby 🇫🇷
- Joseph Garin 🇫🇷
- Clément Richard 🇫🇷
- Para Nordic adapted skiing: the 2025 World Championships to be held in Bessans
- The French Para Nordic Ski Team was in training in Bessans
