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The brave beginnings of our predecessors in the 1960s who constructed the first real ski jump and organised the first competitions in ski jumping represented also the first steps on the way towards organising prominent competitions, with our town and the entire region receiving recognition on a world scale.

The municipality of Ljubno lies at the beginning of the Savinja gorge that rambles right to the heart of the mountains. The municipality, regarded as one of the most beautiful in the Upper Savinja Valley, extends over 79 hectares at an altitude of 420 metres. The municipality comprises the market town Ljubno and eight hamlets: Savina, Primož, Planina, Ter, Juvanje, Radmirje, Meliše, and Okonina, altogether with a population of 2,650.

The beginning of skiing tradition in Ljubno goes back to the time before WWII, while organised ski jumping itself started with the foundation of the ski jumping club SSK Gozdar after WWII. At that time, a group of Ljubno locals was attending international competitions in Planica, where they decided they were going to build a ski jump in Ljubno as well. They contacted the constructor of the giant ski jump in Planica, Stane Bloudek, and signed a contract in 1947 that would result in a 60-metre ski jump, completed in 1953. In the nineties, the ski jump was rebuilt and extended to 80 metres. In 2005, the locals reconstructed the ski jump according to the modern regulations of the FIS, and have been hosting ski jumping competitions for women at the highest level ever since 2006.

We have all at a certain point in our lives, at least when we were children, jumped for joy. The right reason to do so is the new ski jump, where courageous girls are brimming with joy. With a spark in their eyes they remember the most joyous moments in their lives as well as in the sports discipline they love so much.

As a child I often went to Mostec to try out the smaller ski jump and proudly put on the ski jumping skis of my cousin's husband – Janez Gorišek, who at that time was jumping on the ski jump in Šiška and after the competition always allowed me to put them on and ski down the landing zone.

The SSK Ljubno BTC ski jumping club first saw the light of day over sixty years ago, when it continued the enthusiastic ideas of the most progressive people of Ljubno, who were not afraid to take on the most daring challenges, among which was also the construction of a 60-metre ski jump in Ljubno ob Savinji (at that time considered very big).

Providing live coverage of ski jumping events, the Slovenian TV team is known as one of the best production teams in the world – pioneer guidelines were set already by Beno Hvala and Stane Škodlar.

Each year the Ladies’ Ski Jumping World Cup competition in Ljubno brings a bigger smile to my face, since the event has become somewhat of a movement and not just another sports event.

The Ski Association of Slovenia has clearly had a good feel for finding the place where women’s ski jumping would be truly loved. Ljubno has nurtured the first inklings of infatuation into a profound love for life.

Sport is an important part of my life. When I was young, it used to be a test course where I strengthened my character, my work habits, practised the feeling of belonging to a team, and got to know my physical limits.

Last year’s relocation of the competition from Ljubno to Planica revealed several aspects why such measure for this level of competition is of great relevance.

Dear friends, It’s a great honor and a pleasure to address you once more again.