Japan's two-time Nordic combined World Cup skiing champion Kenji Ogiwara said Thursday that he's ready for the upcoming season, despite a change in the rules.
"I'd heard there might be another rule change so I've worked hard on cross country since this spring," Ogiwara said at a Ski Association of Japan news conference in Tokyo.
The new regulations give more weight to cross-country skiing than the jumping portion, which is regarded as less advantageous to Japanese athletes who are good at jumping. After the change made by the International Skiing Federation earlier this week, 12 points from the ski-jumping portion will be counted as one minute of cross-country skiing this season. Previously, 10 points was equal to one minute.
"Whatever the change is, I'll just compete under the regulations and try to perform my best," said Ogiwara, who will turn 31 this December.
The Nordic World Cup series will begin Nov. 26 at Lillehammer, Norway, and will run until March 10, including two events in Japan -- a one-day sprint event March 1 in Nayoro, Hokkaido, and a large-hill event March 3-4 in Sapporo. The Nordic World Championships are slated for Feb. 15-25 in Lahti, Finland.
Ogiwara finished second twice and third once before finishing sixth in the World Cup overall standings last season.
The SAJ announced that Japan will also host the following World Cup events: two ski jumping World Cup competitions (one in Hakuba, Nagano Prefecture, on Jan. 24 and another in Sapporo on Jan. 27-28), an Alpine skiing World Cup meet in Shiga Kogen, Nagano Prefecture, on Feb. 14-18, two freestyle skiing World Cup events (one in Inawashiro, Fukushima Prefecture, on Feb. 2-3 and another in Iizuna Kogen, Nagano Prefecture, on Feb. 7-11), and two snowboarding World Cup competitions (one in Sapporo on Feb. 16-18 and another in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, on Feb. 24-25.).