They’ll break the rules at the Wisła Ski Jumping World Cup: a 40‑minute mid‑competition pause

A highly unusual broadcast-driven change will occur during Sunday’s Ski Jumping World Cup in Wisła (Malinka): there will be a 40‑minute pause between the first and second competition rounds.

Andrzej Wąsowicz, head of the local organising committee, confirmed the decision and stressed that it is not in line with the regulations. However, he said the pause was requested by Polish Television (TVP) and Eurosport and approved after negotiations at the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) level. The aim is to prevent overlap with the men’s biathlon pursuit in Östersund, which broadcasters want to fit into their programming slots.

Polish Ski Association spokesperson Piotr Majchrzak explained that FIS follows a policy of not “cannibalising” its own live broadcasts and coordinates start times accordingly. Because of the collision with the biathlon broadcast, a German rights holder asked to avoid simultaneous transmissions. Talks, involving the external rights agency Infront, had been ongoing since April and resulted in TVP accepting the FIS-proposed solution. Organisers have not yet decided how to keep spectators occupied during the extended intermission at the hill.

Wisła weekend schedule: - Friday, 5 December: official training (17:45), qualification (20:15) - Saturday, 6 December: trial round (13:45), individual competition (14:45) - Sunday, 7 December: qualification (12:55), individual competition (14:25), with a 40‑minute break between rounds on Sunday.

The World Cup stop in Wisła is the first in Poland this season. Although Eurosport holds exclusive rights to most events, TVP can broadcast the Polish competitions, which contributed to the need to restructure Sunday’s live window.