Yesterday, WGNZ chairman Sir Eion Edgar announced plans for the next games, which will see the fledgling event increase its standing on the international winter sports circuit, with the inclusion of at least six World Cup events.
However, the board and senior management staff had a strategy workshop in November which resulted in the increased focus on attracting the world's best.
If a sport was unlikely to attract at least six out of the 10 best, it was removed from the programme.
Chief executive Arthur Klap said this had meant ice hockey, figure skating, short-track speed skating and winter triathlon had all been dropped in the interim. It had also meant Dunedin and Mt Hutt will not feature in 2013.
"It has been a very difficult exercise, telling some sports and Dunedin that they will not be part of the 2013 Winter Games, but we need to be totally objective in this," Klap said.
"The refined programme gives us a sharper focus and will, we believe, ensure entries in most events that will closely match the entries in the Winter Olympics six months later in Socchi, Russia.
"This is a depth and spread of elite sports talent not seen before in New Zealand and will attract significant international media interest."
Previously WGNZ had hosted the FIS Snowboard Halfpipe World Cup. In 2013 the programme will extend to FIS World Cup events in snowboard slopestyle, snowboard cross, freestyle ski halfpipe, freestyle ski slopestyle and ski cross, as well as snowboard halfpipe.
The 2013 Winter Games NZ would see format changes with the emphasis strongly on snow sports and working to attract the majority of the world's top elite athletes to New Zealand.
The games would also be compressed from 18 days this year to 14 days in 2013, from August 12 to 25.
Sir Eion said the board was excited with the new programme and its potential to lift the games to a higher international level.
"We have already had considerable success but this further development is wonderful for Otago and New Zealand.
"We have a real competitive advantage with our snow sports and 2013 is the prime opportunity to fully capitalise on it."
Destination Queenstown marketing general manager Graham Budd said the new format, while ambitious, was "incredibly exciting" and could only benefit the region and New Zealand's profile as a premier winter sports destination.
