After Val d’Isère, France for two consecutive years, St. Moritz hosted for the first time the Longines Future Ski Champions, in the context of the FIS World Cup Finals. The third edition of the competition gave the best international male skiers the opportunity to compete in the exact same conditions as the professionals. The young athletes, aged under 16 and selected by their respective national federations, represented Austria, Canada, Croatia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland and the United-States.
Monday 14 was dedicated to the training session, as well as the lucky draw ceremony, which was attended by Mikaela Shiffrin, Longines Ambassador of Elegance and patron of the 2016 edition. The following day, the contestants took part in a two-run giant slalom on the Official FIS Alpine World Cup slope. Joshua Sturm from Austria clinched the 2016 Longines Future Ski Champions title, in front of Benjamin Ritchie (USA) and Augustin Bianchini (FRA). Joshua was rewarded with a Longines watch and a trophy. In addition, his national alpine skiing federation received a cheque aimed at developing project for young skiers.
Relations between the Swiss watchmaker and the Engadine village go back more than a century ago. In fact, in 1894, Longines sent St. Moritz two timepieces equipped with manual-winding Longines movements to be used as timekeeping devices. Today, Longines is the Official Partner and Timekeeper for the FIS World Cup Finals and the 2017 World Alpine Ski Championships, which will be also held in St. Moritz. When it comes to equestrian sports, the Swiss watchmaker is also the Title Partner for the Longines CSI St. Moritz Show Jumping Competition, and is associated with the Night Turf St. Moritz, a horse race held on the frozen lake of the station.
In honour of its ongoing commitment to major sporting events in the famous Graubünden station, Longines has marked this partnership by launching an exclusive watch designed specifically for Saint Moritz: the Conquest 1/100th St. Moritz.
On the strength of its privileged links with the sports in which it is involved, Longines is keen to offer its support to the most promising sports talents in their discipline. Apart from its commitment to young skiers, the Swiss watch brand also organises a tennis tournament during the French Open fortnight at Roland Garros, namely the Longines Future Tennis Aces, as well as a race for young jockeys – the Prix Longines Future Racing Stars – held alongside the Prix de Diane Longines at the Chantilly Racecourse near Paris.
