The 18th World Cup season began in December 1983 in Kranjska Gora, Yugoslavia (now Slovenia), and concluded in March 1984 in Oslo, Norway. The overall champions were Pirmin Zurbriggen (his first) and Erika Hess (her second), both of Switzerland.
A break in the schedule in February was for the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia (now Bosnia and Herzegovina). The debate over amateur and professional status of world-class skiers came to a head this year over the issue of the Olympic eligibility of the holders of FIS Class B licenses, which were approved in 1981 to permit skiers to accept sponsorship money directly instead of through their national ski federations or Olympic committees. After protests by some of the other top skiers (including twin brothers Phil and Steve Mahre), the International Ski Federation (FIS) ruled in the summer of 1983 that the two holders of such licenses, Ingemar Stenmark of Sweden and Hanni Wenzel of Liechtenstein, would be ineligible to compete in the Olympics unless they surrendered those licenses and transferred the money received under them to the appropriate national ski or Olympic committees.
Although Wenzel was willing to transfer her money as requested, Stenmark, who had moved his tax residence to Monaco and had received an amount estimated at over $5 million in payments during those three years, was not, because repatriating the money to Sweden would subject him to millions of dollars in Swedish income tax. Despite the different reactions of the two, FIS decided to treat Stenmark and Wenzel identically and ban them both from Olympic competition in 1984, while permitting both to continue to compete in World Cup competitions. After the Olympics, Hanni Wenzel, who had won two overall World Cup titles and finished second or third overall six more times, retired, and several of the other top skiers, such as the Mahre twins and Norway's Jarle Halsnes, turned professional and left the World Cup circuit. The backlash over this series of events, combined with the increasing television revenues from the Olympic Games, led to the end of the ban on professional athletes in the Olympics before the end of the decade.
In another ruling regarding Olympic eligibility, FIS denied rising all-event skier Marc Girardelli, who was a citizen of Austria but who competed for Luxembourg on the World Cup circuit, the ability to compete in the Olympics for Austria, ruling that he could only compete for the country that he represented on the World Cup circuit. As a result, Girardelli was not able to compete in the Olympics until after his Luxembourg citizenship was granted in the mid-1980s.
Calendar
Men + Event key: DH – Downhill, SL – Slalom, GS – Giant slalom, SG – Super giant slalom, KB – Combined, PS – Parallel slalom (Nations Cup ranking only)DatePlaceWinnerSecondThird 451 1 2 December 1983 Kranjska Gora SL 146 Andreas Wenzel Petar Popangelov Paul Frommelt452 2 4 December 1983 Schladming DH 134 Erwin Resch Harti Weirather Steve Podborski453 3 9 December 1983 Val d'Isère DH 135 Franz Heinzer Todd Brooker Harti Weirather454 4 10 December 1983 SG 004 Hans Enn Pirmin Zurbriggen Jure Franko455 5 10 December 1983 KB 033 Franz Heinzer Pirmin Zurbriggen Leonhard Stock456 6 12 December 1983 Les Diablerets GS 137 Max Julen Pirmin Zurbriggen Jure Franko457 7 13 December 1983 Courmayeur SL 147 Ingemar Stenmark Bojan Križaj Steve Mahre 458 8 18 December 1983 Val Gardena DH 136 Urs Räber Todd Brooker Steve Podborski459 9 19 December 1983 SG 005 Pirmin Zurbriggen Martin Hangl Leonhard Stock460 10 20 December 1983 Madonna di Campiglio SL 148 Ingemar Stenmark Robert Zoller Petar Popangelov461 11 19 December 1983 20 December 1983 Val Gardena (SG) Madonna di Campiglio (SL) KB 034 Andreas Wenzel Thomas Bürgler Alex Giorgi462 12 7 January 1984 Laax DH 137 Urs Räber Franz Klammer Michael Mair463 13 10 January 1984 Adelboden GS 138 Ingemar Stenmark Hubert Strolz Pirmin Zurbriggen464 14 15 January 1984 Wengen DH 138 Bill Johnson Anton Steiner Erwin Resch465 15 16 January 1984 Parpan SL 149 Marc Girardelli Paolo De Chiesa Andreas Wenzel466 16 17 January 1984 SL 150 Ingemar Stenmark Marc Girardelli Franz Gruber467 17 15 January 1984 17 January 1984 Wengen (DH) Parpan (SL) KB 035 Andreas Wenzel Anton Steiner Peter Lüscher468 18 21 January 1984 Kitzbühel DH 139 Franz Klammer Erwin Resch Anton Steiner469 19 22 January 1984 SL 151 Marc Girardelli Franz Gruber Bojan Križaj470 20 22 January 1984 KB 036 Anton Steiner Pirmin Zurbriggen Phil Mahre471 21 23 January 1984 Kirchberg GS 139 Ingemar Stenmark Marc Girardelli Jörgen Sundqvist472 22 28 January 1984 Garmisch DH 140 Steve Podborski Erwin Resch Franz Klammer473 23 29 January 1984 SG 006 Andreas Wenzel Pirmin Zurbriggen Hans Enn474 24 29 January 1984 KB 037 Pirmin Zurbriggen Andreas Wenzel Peter Müller475 25 2 February 1984 Cortina d'Ampezzo DH 141 Helmut Höflehner Urs Räber Conradin Cathomen476 26 4 February 1984 Borovets GS 140 Ingemar Stenmark Marc Girardelli Roberto Erlacher477 27 5 February 1984 SL 152 Marc Girardelli Ingemar Stenmark Franz Gruber1984 Winter Olympics (13–19 February)478 28 4 March 1984 Aspen DH 142 Bill Johnson Anton Steiner Helmut Höflehner 479 29 5 March 1984 GS 141 Pirmin Zurbriggen Marc Girardelli Phil Mahre480 30 6 March 1984 Vail SL 153 Robert Zoller Petar Popangelov Lars-Göran Halvarsson Phil Mahre481 31 7 March 1984 GS 142 Ingemar Stenmark Pirmin Zurbriggen Hans Enn482 32 11 March 1984 Whistler DH 143 Bill Johnson Helmut Höflehner Pirmin Zurbriggen483 33 17 March 1984 Åre GS 143 Hans Enn Hubert Strolz Ingemar Stenmark484 34 18 March 1984 SL 154 Marc Girardelli Franz Gruber Lars-Göran Halvarsson485 35 20 March 1984 Oppdal SG 007 Pirmin Zurbriggen Marc Girardelli Jure Franko486 36 23 March 1984 Oslo GS 144 Hans Enn Alex Giorgi Thomas Bürgler487 37 24 March 1984 SL 155 Marc Girardelli Ingemar Stenmark Paolo De ChiesaNations Cup 25 March 1984 Oslo PS ncr Hans Enn Anton Steiner Ingemar Stenmark
Women + Event key: DH – Downhill, SL – Slalom, GS – Giant slalom, SG – Super giant slalom, KB – Combined, PS – Parallel slalom (Nations Cup ranking only)DatePlaceWinnerSecondThird421 1 1 December 1983 Kranjska Gora SL 144 Erika Hess Tamara McKinney Małgorzata Tlałka 422 2 7 December 1983 Val d'Isère DH 116 Irene Epple Ariane Ehrat Caroline Attia423 3 8 December 1983 DH 117 Maria Walliser Irene Epple Lea Sölkner424 4 11 December 1983 GS 130 Erika Hess Perrine Pelen Hanni Wenzel425 5 11 December 1983 KB 031 Irene Epple Erika Hess Hanni Wenzel426 6 14 December 1983 Sestriere SL 145 Maria Rosa Quario Roswitha Steiner Monika Hess427 7 8 December 1983 14 December 1983 Val d'Isère (DH2) Sestriere (SL) KB 032 Erika Hess Lea Sölkner Christin Cooper428 8 17 December 1983 Piancavallo SL 146 Roswitha Steiner Małgorzata Tlałka Maria Rosa Quario429 9 21 December 1983 Haus im Ennstal DH 118 Hanni Wenzel Irene Epple Maria Walliser430 10 22 December 1983 GS 131 Hanni Wenzel Maria Epple Christin Cooper431 11 7 January 1984 Puy St. Vincent DH 119 Gerry Sorensen Veronika Vitzthum Maria Walliser432 12 8 January 1984 SG 003 Laurie Graham Michela Figini Debbie Armstrong433 13 8 January 1984 KB 033 Gerry Sorensen Irene Epple Marina Kiehl434 14 13 January 1984 Bad Gastein DH 120 Hanni Wenzel Irene Epple Maria Walliser435 15 14 January 1984 SL 147 Perrine Pelen Roswitha Steiner Dorota Tlałka436 16 14 January 1984 KB 034 Hanni Wenzel Olga Charvátová Tamara McKinney437 17 15 January 1984 Maribor SL 148 Erika Hess Tamara McKinney Christin Cooper438 18 21 January 1984 Verbier DH 121 Maria Walliser Holly Flanders Olga Charvátová439 19 22 January 1984 SL 149 Anni Kronbichler Maria Epple Erika Hess440 20 22 January 1984 KB 035 Erika Hess Olga Charvátová Brigitte Örtli441 21 23 January 1984 Limone Piemonte SL 150 Daniela Zini Maria Rosa Quario Christin Cooper442 22 28 January 1984 Megève DH 122 Michela Figini Elisabeth Kirchler Sylvia Eder443 23 29 January 1984 St. Gervais GS 132 Erika Hess Christin Cooper Carole Merle444 24 28 January 1984 29 January 1984 Megève (DH) St. Gervais (GS) KB 036 Michela Figini Elisabeth Kirchler Liisa Savijarvi1984 Winter Olympics (13–19 February)445 25 3 March 1984 Mont St. Anne DH 123 Holly Flanders Marie-Luce Waldmeier Sylvia Eder 446 26 4 March 1984 SG 004 Marina Kiehl Elisabeth Kirchler Christin Cooper447 27 7 March 1984 Lake Placid GS 133 Christin Cooper Marina Kiehl Maria Epple 448 28 10 March 1984 Waterville Valley SL 151 Tamara McKinney Brigitte Gadient Perrine Pelen 449 29 11 March 1984 GS 134 Tamara McKinney Erika Hess Christin Cooper450 30 17 March 1984 Jasná GS 135 Erika Hess Michela Figini Christin Cooper451 31 18 March 1984 SL 152 Roswitha Steiner Perrine Pelen Paoletta Magoni452 32 20 March 1984 Zwiesel SL 153 Hanni Wenzel Tamara McKinney Perrine Pelen453 33 21 March 1984 GS 136 Tamara McKinney Erika Hess Blanca Fernández Ochoa454 34 24 March 1984 Oslo SL 154 Tamara McKinney Dorota Tlałka Perrine PelenNations Cup 25 March 1984 Oslo PS ncr Olga Charvátová Erika Hess Tamara McKinney
Men
Overall
see complete table
In men's overall World Cup 1983/84 the best five downhills, best five giant slaloms/Super-G, best five slaloms and best three combined count. The parallel slalom only counts for the Nationscup (or was a show-event). 29 racers had a point deduction.
PlaceNameCountryTotal DH GSSG SL KB 1 Pirmin Zurbriggen 256 59 115 17 65 2 Ingemar Stenmark 230 - 115 115 - 3 Marc Girardelli 222 - 92 125 5 4 Andreas Wenzel 191 3 58 60 70 5 Anton Steiner 148 67 4 23 54 6 Franz Heinzer 129 66 26 - 37 7 Urs Räber 118 94 - - 24 8 Franz Gruber 113 - 19 82 12 9 Alex Giorgi 107 - 49 43 15 10 Bojan Križaj 105 - 34 66 6 11 Hans Enn 105 - 105 - - 12 Erwin Resch 91 91 - - - Max Julen 91 - 60 31 - 14 Bill Johnson 87 87 - - - 15 Phil Mahre 85 2 24 44 15 Helmut Höflehner 85 74 - - 11 17 Thomas Bürgler 84 - 54 2 28 18 Petar Popangelov 82 - - 77 5 19 Jure Franko 80 - 68 5 7 20 Franz Klammer 79 79 - - -
Downhill
see complete table
In men's downhill World Cup 1983/84 the best 5 results count. 12 racers had a point deduction, which are given in ().
PlaceNameCountryTotal 23812141822252832 1 Urs Räber 94 12 12 25 25 (1) (10) - 20 (6) - 2 Erwin Resch 91 25 (10) - (10) 15 20 20 - 11 - 3 Bill Johnson 87 - - - - 25 - - 12 25 25 4 Franz Klammer 79 11 (6) 8 20 (3) 25 15 (2) - (6) 5 Steve Podborski 76 15 (9) 15 - - - 25 10 (8) 11 6 Helmut Höflehner 74 - - - 2 - - 7 25 20 20 7 Anton Steiner 67 - - - - 20 15 6 6 20 (5) 8 Franz Heinzer 66 (4) 25 12 11 - - (8) (2) 9 9 9 Todd Brooker 64 10 20 20 - - - - - 2 12 10 Pirmin Zurbriggen 59 - - - - 10 12 10 - 12 15
Giant slalom / Super-G
see complete table
In men's giant slalom and super-G World Cup 1983/84 the best 5 results count. 14 racers had a point deduction, which are given in (). Ingemar Stenmark and Pirmin Zurbriggen finished tied on total points, but Stenmark's 4 race victories (compared to Zurbriggen's 3) gave him his seventh Giant slalom (and super-G) World Cup! This record is still unbeaten!
PlaceNameCountryTotal 4SG 69SG 132123SG 2629313335SG 36 1 Ingemar Stenmark 115 - (9) - 25 25 (11) 25 - 25 15 - (11) 2 Pirmin Zurbriggen 115 20 20 25 (15) - (20) - 25 (20) (10) 25 (12) 3 Hans Enn 105 25 (12) (12) (10) - 15 - - 15 25 (12) 25 4 Marc Girardelli 92 (4) - - 12 20 (12) 20 20 - (12) 20 - 5 Jure Franko 68 15 15 (8) 11 12 (9) - - - - 15 (9) 6 Hubert Strolz 65 - 8 (6) 20 (4) (5) 8 - (2) 20 9 (1) 7 Max Julen 60 8 25 - 9 - - - - 12 (4) (1) 6 8 Andreas Wenzel 58 (3) (5) 10 - - 25 6 - - - 10 7 9 Thomas Bürgler 54 (6) 10 (7) (4) 10 - 9 10 (6) - (6) 15 10 Guido Hinterseer 49 - (6) 11 8 11 10 - - 9 - (7) (5) Martin Hangl 49 - 7 20 - - (3) (2) 12 - 5 5 - Alex Giorgi 49 - - - - 7 - - 9 (4) 8 5 20
Slalom
see complete table