The competition, the final World Championship event before the Sochi 2014 Winter Paralympics, is due to take place from February 23 to March 5 while the team includes US Navy Lieutenant Dan Cnossen (pictured top) and retired Army officer Andy Soule, who combined for five medals at the recent 2013 IPC Nordic Skiing World Cup event in Cable, Wisconsin.

Soule (pictured below) will also be looking to add to the bronze medal he won at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Paralympics in 2.4 kilometre biathlon, becoming the first American athlete to medal in biathlon at the Olympic or Paralympic Winter Games.

Completing the US team for the World Championships are retired Marine Eric Frazier, retired Air Force officer Sean Halsted and retire Army Reserves member Jeremy Wagner.

Team USA has never medalled at the IPC Nordic Skiing World Championships but will be hopeful of doing so in Sweden.


"We are excited to enter a strong team of athletes for the 2013 IPC Nordic Skiing World Championships," said US Paralympics Nordic skiing high performance director John Farra.

"All of the athletes selected are coming off a very successful IPC Nordic Skiing World Cup on home soil in Cable, Wisconsin where Dan and Andy medalled.

"The other three have closed the gap and are climbing toward the podium.

"It is going to be fun to see what Team USA can do next month."

Team USA won 13 medals at the IPC Nordic Skiing World Cup in Cable with Cnossen taking four medals, two in biathlon and two in cross-country, and Soule taking a silver medal in the middle biathlon event.

An estimated 150 athletes from 15 countries will compete in biathlon and cross-country races at the World Championships.

The event itself will be the third World Championships for Nordic skiing after the competition made its debut in in Vuokatti in Finland in 2009 before being held for the second time in Khanty Mansiysk in Russia in 2011.

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