Mikaela Shiffrin and Marcel Hirscher win World Cup points … and a reindeer

Story highlights

Winners of Levi FIS World Cup slalom event gifted a reindeer

Mikaela Shiffrin scored second Levi victory this year

Reindeer valuable part of Finnish lifestyle

CNN  — 

Sports fans have become used to seeing tournament champions bagging a big check and hoisting an impressive trophy above their heads.

But for the slalom event of the Alpine Skiing World Cup in Levi, northern Finland, things are done a little differently.

Since 2013, the winner of both the men’s and women’s competition has won a reindeer.

This year, the prize animals went to Mikaela Shiffrin of the United States and Marcel Hirscher of Austria. Both had previously won at Levi in 2013, so are now proud owners of two reindeer each.

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CORRECTION - Mikaela Shiffrin of the US poses with a white reindeer named "Mikaela" she was given after winning the Ladies' FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup slalom race in Levi Kittilä, Finland on November 12, 2016. / AFP / Lehtikuva / Martti Kainulainen / Finland OUT / The erroneous mention appearing in the metadata of this photo by Martti Kainulainen has been modified in AFP systems in the following manner: [Mikaela Shiffrin of the US poses with a white reindeer named "Mikaela" she was given after winning the Ladies' FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup slalom race in Levi Kittilä, Finland on November 12, 2016. ] instead of [Mikaela Shiffrin of the US jokes with Santa Claus reindeer after winning the Ladies' FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup slalom race in Levi Kittilä, Finland on November 12, 2016.]. Please immediately remove the erroneous mention from all your online services and delete it  from your servers. If you have been authorized by AFP to distribute it  to third parties, please ensure that the same actions are carried out by them. Failure to promptly comply with these instructions will entail liability on your part for any continued or post notification usage. Therefore we thank you very much for all your attention and prompt action. We are sorry for the inconvenience this notification may cause and remain at your disposal for any further information you may require.        (Photo credit should read MARTTI KAINULAINEN/AFP/Getty Images)
The cutest prize in alpine skiing
03:14 - Source: CNN

Rudolph and Sven

The winners are allowed to name their furry friend but must leave them behind after the race meet – even though they are encouraged to follow their movements on social media.

Shiffrin named her first reindeer Rudolph, telling CNN: “because then everybody knows, no matter how old or young you are, that Rudolph the Reindeer exists.”

She added that she plans to call the second Sven after a reindeer in the movie “Frozen.”

‘Reindeer character’

For the region of Lapland, in northern Finland, reindeer play an important part in everyday life, and herding them is the oldest livelihood in Lapland.

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“Reindeer are used for transportation, for meat markets, and also for clothes,” explains Johanna Hietanen, the reindeer herder who provides the prize animal for the World Cup each year.

“(They) are basically wild animals and are scared of people, but then this is how we get them used to people,” Hietanen added. “They have their own characters are their own personality. Some are easier to train than the others.”

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Both Hirscher and Shiffrin currently top the respective male and female overall World Cup standings with 180 points after two events.