The Scandinavians unexpectedly refused to promote their national sport at the Youth Olympics.
The Norwegian advantage in cross-country skiing at international competitions is now greater than ever. The main reason, naturally, is the absence of Russians.
If desired, the Scandinavian team can “mow down” all tournaments, even sending athletes of different levels and ages there. The closest of these is the Youth Olympic Games in South Korea.
However, instead of a victorious experience, the management unexpectedly decided to leave the skiers at home, causing a flurry of emotions among their compatriots.
Unusual argument
The main competitions for athletes from 15 to 18 years old are not only the World Championships, but also the Olympics. At least, this is why, since 2010, the World Youth Games have become the Youth Olympic Games. One of the key tasks of competitions under the auspices of the IOC is to prepare young athletes for the difficult psychological conditions of international competitions.
By analogy with the adult Games, the status tournament for boys and girls also has a winter and summer version. And it must be said that Russian athletes excel in both. At the Summer Youth Olympics we consistently compete with China for victory in the overall medal standings; at the Winter Olympics the situation is more varied. Our athletes gradually approached the leadership and, finally, in 2020 they became the best.
Daria Nepryaeva and Ilyuza Gusmanova / Photo: © RIA Novosti / Grigory Sysoev
The next Games will be held this winter in South Korea, but there will be no Russian representatives there. In this regard, the Norwegians have an excellent chance to dominate cross-country skiing. The Vikings, by the way, have not yet risen above the top 5 in the overall standings, but they regularly won medals in their traditional sport.
However, the leadership of the Norwegian Ski Association announced a month before the tournament that they would not delegate their players to Gangwon-do.
“We believe that it is too early to send athletes to such a big championship. This is one of the biggest shocks you can experience in life, says Brit Baldishol, head of development at the Norwegian Ski Association.
“This is silly”
As you know, the Scandinavian training system in cyclic sports is significantly different from many others. This is also manifested in the special attitude towards competitions among minor athletes. One can argue how correct this scheme is, but even among athletes and experts it raises big questions:
“I think it’s stupid that no one is sent to the Games.” I see no reason why they shouldn’t do this. For me it was an experience and the main goal of that year, since we were too young to go to the Junior World Championships. “I felt like an Olympic athlete,” emphasizes Norway’s Anna Heggen, who won silver in the sprint at the 2020 Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne.
Anna Heggen / Photo: © Wu Huiwo / Xinhua / Global Look Press
It is interesting that the opinion of other federations does not coincide with the ski federation. Norway is sending 48 athletes to South Korea, divided into different sports. At the same time, the symbol of the country’s winter sports is not among these disciplines.
— Cross-country skiing is the national sport in Norway, but at the international level we suffer from weak competition and low interest in it. Then it is important that Norway takes responsibility, urges Fredrik Åkland, an expert at the respected media outlet NRK.
Conflicting Examples
The association’s management emphasizes that they fear for the psychological state of their athletes: high levels of stress, expectations from their performances and a heavy burden of responsibility can destroy a young skier. But compatriots have little faith in these arguments.
– I completely disagree with this. Being a leader early in your career is not dangerous. This is not a prerequisite for becoming the best as an adult, but it is also not an obstacle to a long sports career. If we look at many of those who have done well, they competed in big tournaments at an early age,” says Oakland.
Petter Northug / Photo: © Agence Zoom / Stringer / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru
The expert singles out Therese Johaug and Petter Northug. The latter, for example, became the first athlete ever to win five individual gold medals in the FIS Junior World Ski Championships. In the 2005/06 season he became the first junior to ever win the Norwegian championship, winning two pursuit races.
So such examples do not fit into the fabric of the methodology of Brit Baldishall and the cross-country skiing committee, which unilaterally deprived young athletes of the opportunity to compete in a grand tournament. Instead of victories in South Korea, Norwegian skiers, including three-time 2023 Junior World Cup winner Mila Andreassen, will sit at home due to the inexplicable principles of their leadership.
2023-12-24 15:30:04
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