World Cup Downhill and Super-G Races Set for Kandahar
Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, is preparing to host the men’s FIS Alpine Ski World Cup featuring downhill and super-G races on the iconic Kandahar slope on February 28th and March 1st, 2026. The event marks a key point in the post-Olympic season for alpine skiing.
Italy’s Squad for the Bavarian Races
Italy will field a team of nine athletes for the two races in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, as announced by the Italian Winter Sports Federation (FISI). The team includes Dominik Paris and Giovanni Franzoni, both recently achieving podium finishes in the downhill event at Bormio FIS Ski. As well competing will be Christof Innerhofer, Florian Schieder, Mattia Casse, Benjamin Alliod, Guglielmo Bosca, Max Perathoner, and Marco Abbruzzese.
Kandahar’s Rich Racing History
The Kandahar course has a long and distinguished history in alpine skiing. Since 1954, it has been a regular venue for the Arlberg-Kandahar races, rotating with other prominent courses in Austria, Switzerland, France, and Italy Wikipedia. The course first opened in 1936 and has hosted the Olympic Games in 1936, the Alpine Ski World Championships in 1978 and 2011 zugspitze.de.
Past Successes on the Kandahar
Over the last decade, Italian skiers have enjoyed success on the Kandahar course. Dominik Paris won in 2021, and Guglielmo Bosca secured second place in 2024. Prior to that, Paris also triumphed in 2018, and Peter Fill achieved victory in 2017, also taking third place that same year Skiweltcup Garmisch.
Current World Cup Standings
As the season progresses, several Italian skiers are well-positioned in the World Cup standings. In the downhill specialty ranking, Italy holds third, fourth, and fifth places. Marco Odermatt currently leads with 510 points, followed by Niels Hintermann at 395, Dominik Paris at 296, Giovanni Franzoni with 224 points, and Florian Schieder at 219. Mattia Casse is also in the top ten, ranking ninth with 139 points.
In the super-G discipline, Odermatt also leads with 425 points, ahead of Vincent Kriechmayr (267) and Raphael Haaser (243). Franzoni is the top-ranked Italian skier in super-G, holding fifth place with 240 points, while Paris is ninth with 157 points.
Race Schedule
The downhill race is scheduled for Saturday, February 28th, 2026, with a start time of 11:45 am. The super-G race will follow on Sunday, March 1st, 2026, also starting at 11:45 am Skiweltcup Garmisch.