![\"\"](\"http:\/\/sporteventgellivare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/evolution_slalom1.jpg\" "\\"Slalom\\"")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
When the World Cup was held for the first and only time in Norrbotten, it happened on Dundret, together with the Top of Europe Trophy.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Mats Hillblom\/imega television<\/p><\/div>\n
The year was 1983, and the competition that took place on February 26th and 27th were, simply put, a massive success.
\n20,000 enthusiastic spectators lined the tracks at Dundret, and over the course of two unforgettable days watched the greatest alpine skiers in the world ski, lead by Ingemar Stenmark (giant slalom) and Marc Girardelli (slalom). It was a huge athletic event in Norrbotten, with audience voting and an atmosphere reminiscent of the big ski resorts down in the Alps.<\/p>\nThe Swedish success was unprecedented, with King Ingemar Stenmark\u2019s enormous performance during Saturday\u2019s giant slalom, and many Swedes on the leaderboard for Sunday\u2019s slalom competition. After Marc Girardelli, the slalom winner, there were five Swedes in the top eleven: Stig Strand (2nd), Ingemar Stenmark (3rd), Bengt Fj\u00e4llberg (7th), J\u00f6rgen Sundqvist (8th), and Lars-G\u00f6ran Halvarsson (11th). A landmark World Cup performance for Swedish alpine sports.<\/p>\n
Everyone was happy with the fantastic organization of the contest, which was ran by Malmberget AIF and G\u00e4llivare SK. After the competition, colourful World Cup founder Serge Lang exclaimed: \u201cJust call if you want more competitions at Dundret, in Sweden.\u201d<\/p>\n
The media were all over the event, especially those who worked for Sweden\u2019s newspapers. Their coverage of the events, before, during, and after, was detailed and thorough. There was even a special Sunday edition to cover the afterparty at Dundret. Incidentally, this intense coverage had begun a few days earlier, in Stenmark\u2019s hometown of T\u00e4rnaby. They had also hosted the historic World Cup in the winter of 1983, and the skiers were flown by special charter flight from T\u00e4rnaby to G\u00e4llivare.<\/p>\n
Mats Hillblom\/imega television<\/p><\/div>\n
This author was there for the entire experience, and it was a very memorable event for a Norrbotten sports writer. I remember that I followed Stig Strand for the entire day, from cabin 54 at Dundret to the turns of the slalom run, describing everything that happened from early morning to late evening for the magazines.
\nStig Strand, who finished in an impressive second place after Marc Girardelli, luckily defeated his good friend Ingemar Stenmark. The press photographers loved the competition, in which so much happened. Some were even lucky enough to catch Stenmark himself as he was on his way by. It was as he passed H\u00f6g\u00e5sen that it happened. A murmur ran through the densely packed crowd on Dundret.
\n\u201cI was down and out, and put my hands down, but I guess I didn\u2019t lose too much time after all,\u201d stated \u201cStenis\u201d, who finished before Max Julen (from Switzerland), Phil Mahre and fourth place finisher Johan Wallner (from Sweden).<\/p>\nThe World Cup win was Stenmark\u2019s 72nd, another triumph in a long and glittering career. It was the perfect note to start the event on, the crowd favourite taking the first race. A local boy also had his big break at Dundret. J\u00f6rgen Sundqvist, a Norrbottning from Arvidsjaur, came eleventh in the giant slalom and eighth in the slalom.<\/p>\n
There were quite a few people in important leadership roles, including Lennart Hagstedt of the World Cup Committee, CEO G\u00f6ran Remahl, and last but not least, race director and ski enthusiast Rune T\u00f6rngren who worked hard in many different aspects of the competition. \u201cI\u2019m happy that everything went so well,\u201d beamed T\u00f6rngren.<\/p>\n
Afterwards, the competition was widely praised, from Serge Lange, the larger-than-life World Cup boss, to the superstars of skiing, to veteran broadcaster Sven \u201cPlex\u201d Pettersson who commentated the entire event live. \u201cThese contents are ranked very highly. Let\u2019s see how G\u00e4llivare makes it happen,\u201d Plex says of his thoughts when the competition was announced. \u201cNow I know, they made it happen in a glorious way.\u201d.<\/p>\n
The 1983 World Cup was a milestone for alpine sports in Norrbotten. It was also an event of note for Dundret, which had been hosting slalom competitions since the first one in Soldalen in the 30s. This was a colossal event, followed by cross-country World Cup contests, but unfortunately no more slalom races.<\/p>\n
Hosting the World Cup in 1983 provided good economic opportunities, strengthened club activities, and put Malmberget AIF and G\u00e4llivare SK in the position to pick up and develop new talent.<\/p>\n
Photo: SCANPIX\/Ingvar Karmhed.<\/p><\/div>\n
One of which went on to become the best in the world.
\nNaturally, it\u2019s Thomas Fogd\u00f6 of G\u00e4llivare SK, who was the world slalom champion in 1993. His talent was noticed early on by both the head instructor and H\u00e5kan \u00c5sell, G\u00e4llivare\u2019s passionate coach. It was incredible to be in \u00c5re when he took the title, and to follow his career throughout the years.<\/p>\nThomas Fogd\u00f6 was the ideal ambassador for Dundret over the course of his brilliant career, which was tragically cut short on February 7th, 1995. Fogd\u00f6 was training in \u00c5re when he had an accident which broke his back, paralyzing him from the waist down. Ever the fighter, Fogd\u00f6 refused to succumb to his circumstances, and became a psychologist, author and motivational speaker. He also started a foundation that provides financial aid to injured athletes.<\/p>\n
Dundret and G\u00e4llivare have nurtured many skiing stars over the years. Thomas Fogd\u00f6 is one name in a list that also includes Mauritz \u201cMarre\u201d Lindstr\u00f6m, Hans Bergman, Pia Gustafsson, Monica Aija, Inger K\u00f6hler, and Anna Boden. The biggest name in G\u00e4llivare today is Anton Lahdenper\u00e4, a slalom rider at the highest levels of the World Cup who was inspired by none other than Thomas Fogd\u00f6.<\/p>\n
H\u00e5kan Svensson (text)<\/em><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When the World Cup was held for the first and only time in Norrbotten, it happened on Dundret, together with the Top of Europe Trophy. The year was 1983, and the competition that took place on February 26th and 27th were, simply put, a massive success. 20,000 enthusiastic spectators lined the tracks at Dundret, and… <\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/sporteventgellivare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/World_Cup_1983_Dundret_1-350x249-300x213.jpg\" "\\"World_Cup_1983_Dundret_1\\"")
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/sporteventgellivare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/World_Cup_1983_2-350x226-300x193.jpg\" "\\"World_Cup_1983_2\\"")
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/sporteventgellivare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/thomas_fogdo-247x300.jpg\" "\\"Thomas")