in Vu de Norge
When alpine skiing saves ski jumping
In recent years, Norwegian skiing has had to face up to an historic financial crisis. The lack of snow, the lack of stars and the various media cases have damaged its image and caused it to lose sponsors.
Of all the branches of the Norwegian Ski Association, ski jumping was the hardest hit. However, money was eventually found to save the jumpers and ensure a more or less normal winter. But how? It was in fact alpine skiing that gave them the money earned during the World Cup events organised in Kvitfjell.
Between the TV rights and the money paid by the FIS, all in Swiss francs, the income was very good and the decision was taken to share this money with all the branches of the Ski Association, thus saving ski jumping, as revealed by the daily Dagbladet.
Jarl Magnus Riiber in bad shape
For almost a month now, Jarl Magnus Riiber has been suffering from a virus that is causing him a lot of problems. “I don’t know what it is, but I’ve had blood in my stools for four weeks,” he tells NRK. It’s a worrying condition that has been going on since his wisdom teeth operation earlier this autumn .
“I had a big inflammation, my body was tired and then I contracted a virus which seems to be acting on my stomach”, continues the Nordic combined racer. He therefore took a break from training for a fortnight before reintensifying his sessions. “There’s no effect on my stomach, whether it’s negative or positive, nothing changes, you’d think it would get better with time but it doesn’t,” says the Norwegian.
Although he is counting on being in Ruka and says he is fit enough, he knows that he has lost a lot of training time. Will he be able to return to top form this winter? “He’s being monitored by the best specialists in Norway, he’s always had a particular health problem and we’re paying a lot of attention to him, but there’s still no way of being sure that he’ll last the whole season,” confides the sports director of the Norwegian Combined, Ivar Stuan.
Nor are the federation’s doctors commenting on the exact causes of Riiber’s condition. “New tests will be carried out shortly”, they said. Hardly reassuring news for the king of Nordic combined who was hoping to shine on home soil in Trondheim.
Martin Johnsrud Sundby new NRK expert
Since retiring as a cross-country skier, Martin Johnsrud Sundby has become an expert for Viaplay and a commentator for Discovery. This winter, he will be switching to a national channel as an expert for NRK during the Nordic World Ski Championships in Trondheim .
“It was my dream, he tells NRK. When I signed my contract with Discovery, I even asked for a special clause for this eventuality.” He joins Maren Lundby, who will be the ski jumping expert, Magnus Moan for the Nordic combined and Birgit Skarstein for the para-cross-country skiing events. “We’re delighted to have such excellent commentators: they know what they’re talking about and they’re very comfortable communicating and sharing their knowledge,” says the channel’s sports editor.
And now that he has spent some time on the other side of the camera, Sundby says he is much wiser. “I kind of regret the way I behaved when I was an athlete, he admits. If I had to do it again, I think I’d give more back to others after my victories, I’d be nicer to the media, I don’t think it would have made me a worse skier and it might have been better.”
In his opinion, it would be wise for all athletes to work better with the media, given that cross-country skiers are criticised for not putting on enough of a show, not making enough of an impression and thus making viewers want to turn on their TVs to watch them. “There’s no need to be afraid of being loved or even hated, as long as it provokes a feeling, he says. Viewers need to want to see someone win or lose, and in my opinion, there’s a bit of a lack of profiles that stand out at the moment, whether good or bad.”
Martin Johnsrud Sundby therefore has only one hope for the season: that his compatriots will arouse the interest of television viewers. “We need duels, rivalries and emotions! That’s what sport should inspire in those who watch it,” he concludes.
Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen improves his rifle
Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen was not exactly in the best of spirits this autumn with the IBU. “We’ve had a few heated discussions,” he confirms to NRK. The reason? Christiansen had modified the magazine of his rifle so that the magazine was closer to the chamber in order to reload his weapon more quickly. A saving he estimated at one or two seconds on the first shot.
But the IBU initially refused outright, judging that it was complicated to know whether the weapon was loaded or not. “They held a meeting at the end of October to redefine some of the technicalrules and change some of them, and they felt that my modification didn’t fit in with their rules”, explains the Norwegian. The IBU then told NRK that the modification did not meet sufficient safety criteria. “We wanted to clarify the existing rules in order to remove any uncertainty surrounding the handling of chargers,” said Daniel Böhn, IBU Sports Director.
Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen has therefore partially given up on his upgrade, but has not abandoned it completely. “I’ll send them some photos and we’ll see if they accept it or if I have to go back to the old version of my rifle,” said the biathlete at the time.
This annoyed the Norwegian, who insisted that other athletes were already using this solution of moving the magazine closer to the loader chamber. “I understand that safety is paramount, but changing the rules a few weeks before the opening is complicated. It should have been done earlier and we should have been informed,” added Christiansen. His latest change, however, has been approved by the IBU, which considers that the shop is now far enough away from the chamber for the charger to be sufficiently secure.
The world of cross-country skiing in support of Ingvild Flugstad Østberg
Last week, Ingvild Flugstad Østberg confided that she wouldn’t be able to ski competitively before Christmas and was therefore almost saying goodbye to her chances of going to the Trondheim Worlds. She still hasn’t managed to sort out her health and weight problems.
“Her openness, her courage to talk about what she’s going through, we can only salute that, reacted Stig Rune Kveen, former national coach, speaking to TV2. We all want Ingvild to come back and we hope she finds the solutions to get better.” Like others before him last week, he believes that confiding in the media can only help Østberg, but also anyone else who might be facing the same challenges.
“It’s important to talk about things that are taboo; sport and society need that,” adds Ane Appelkvist Stenseth. Our bodies are our working tools, and it’s very difficult to strike a balance between preserving them and pushing them to the limit. As far as Ingvild is concerned, I’d really like her to find the solution and have another season at her best before perhaps putting her skis away.”
It’s a message that’s heard throughout the world of cross-country skiing: everyone is wishing Østberg all the best and hoping that she’ll soon make a comeback after several difficult seasons.
Petter Northug Jr. advises Johannes Høsflot Klæbo
In 2011, at Oslo-Holmenkollen, Petter Northug Jr became the king of the Nordic World Ski Championships. This winter, Johannes Høsflot Klæbo is certainly hoping to become the king of the Trondheim Worlds. But his compatriot would like to warn him.
“At the time, I was very protective of what you might call ‘unnecessary noise,” says Northug in an interview with NRK. I didn’t talk much to the media and concentrated on training. What can bring Johannes down is clearly the pressure, it will be incomparable with what he has already faced.”
Northug knows all too well: the excitement when you have a Championship at home is very different to what it is in normal times. “Obviously, there are all the expectations, all the hustle and bustle around the races, but even outside of that, you hardly ever have a moment of peace and quiet or privacy. In 2011 in Oslo, there was always noise in front of the hotel, a huge crowd waiting for us,” recalls the former cross-country skier.
He is also keen to warn all his compatriots in the future Norwegian World Championship team: “It means having the chance to perhaps become World Champion on home soil, but also the risk of failing on home soil , and you have to be mentally ready for that before you set off,” he continues.
He wishes Johannes Høsflot Klæbo all the best for the future. “He needs a team around him that protects him and allows him to concentrate on the sporting aspect,” says Northug.
“I know it’s going to be the worst pressure I’ve ever felt, replies Klæbo. Whether it goes well or badly, these are memories that will mark my life. It’s up to me to do everything I can to make sure it goes as well as possible, and that starts now, four months beforehand.”
