New Zealand's Winter Olympics medal chances, as well as the 2011 Winter Games, will benefit from the games becoming the first qualifying competition for new ski and snowboard events added to the Olympics programme.
Earlier this month, the International Olympic Committee announced that the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, will, for the first time, feature ski slopestyle, snowboard slopestyle and snowboard parallel special slalom events.
Winter games chief executive Arthur Klap this week told the Queenstown Times that the decision made next month's Winter Games the first competition in which athletes could gain qualification points for the events.
This would be great for the games as well as New Zealand's medal hopes, he said, with many local athletes aiming for the Olympics considered to be "at the top of their fields".
These athletes include Ohakune snowboarder Shelly Gotlieb, a podium finisher at the 2011 world championships, Wanaka's world No 1 ranked skier, Jossi Wells, as well as his brother, Byron.
Female snowboarders Rebecca Torr, Stefi Luxton and Kendall Brown are also thought to have a good chance, all with high international rankings.
"For Shelly, Jossi, Byron and all the others who want to go to the Olympics, this will be the start to their campaign to qualify. It's fantastic for New Zealand's chances of getting on the podium at the Olympics," Mr Klap said.
When contacted by the Queenstown Times, Jossi Wells was unsure if with three years still to go until the Olympics, the Winter Games would give Kiwi athletes much of an advantage, but thought it would draw more competitors.
"As it's the first event [since the announcement], I think a lot of people will be excited and come over. A lot of people from the United States came over last time, so I guess it's just more of a reason for them to come back again," he said
Wells, who competes in slopestyle and half-pipe skiing events - the latter of which is also an Olympic event in 2014 - was not talking up his chances and planned to continue "training his hardest"in the three-year lead-up, but was excited by the prospect of competing in Olympic slopestyle.
"Myself and the rest of the freeskiers in New Zealand, we have had some good standings in events around the world and the inclusion is going to make a dream come true for skiers who don't want to ski half-pipe."
The Winter Olympics announcement has also translated into $400,000 in funding from Sparc for the New Zealand Winter Performance Programme.
