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The legacy of Portillo

Jun 12, 2024·FIS 100
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On 4 August 1966 the World Ski Championships opened in Portillo, Chile, with 160 participants from 22 countries. It was the only championships ever held in the Southern hemisphere, which explains why the world's best skiers met in midsummer and not in the European winter.

The 19th World Championships had been awarded at the FIS Congress in Athens three years earlier, with the aim of establishing skiing as a truly global sport, reaching into new territories. The choice of Chile was surprisingly clear, despite the fact that many logistical, organisational and sporting issues had yet to be resolved. Only West Germany, Switzerland and Austria voted against.

In Portillo, France was the dominant nation, winning seven gold and silver medals (out of a possible eight) and 16 out of a total of 24 medals. Italy's Carlo Senoner managed to prevent the French 'en plein' with a triumph in the slalom. And – although the event is closely associated with the name of two-time world champion Jean-Claude Killy – it was his compatriot Marielle Goitschel who left her mark on Portillo in 1966. She won gold in the downhill, giant slalom and combined, and came second in the slalom (beaten by team-mate Annie Famose by 47 hundredths of a second).

The championships ended on 14 August. While no further Alpine Skiing World Championship titles have been awarded to regions in the Southern hemisphere, the legacy of 1966 is great, for it was in Portillo that the foundations of the FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup were laid.