The case is up to date.
There have been murmurs in the Norwegian wrestling community for a long time. No athlete managed to qualify for the Olympics last summer, and this year’s season was also a setback for the national team.
Now it is clear that the coaches are retiring. The association writes in a press release that the reason is “disagreements with the athletes of the national team regarding further sporting adventures”.
– It will be difficult to continue the work started when we and the athletes are so far apart. It’s about our philosophy and our system that we believe in, and we won’t deviate from that, Fritz Aanes and Stig-André Berge say in a press release from the association on Thursday.
– The Norwegian Wrestling Association, Fritz and Stig-André part as good friends and wish each other the best for the future. The Norwegian Wrestling Federation would also like to thank them for everything they have meant to Norwegian wrestling, both as athletes, coaches and ambassadors, says general secretary Morten Sandnæs.
Baldauf: – Very nice
National athlete Felix Baldauf says “there are no bad feelings, other than the fact that it’s very painful.”
– I think it’s very embarrassing, because we have a long history. I’ve had Stig both as a teammate and as a coach. Fritz has been my coach since I started in the youth team, i.e. for 10 years. They have been a part of my life and adventure for so long. He remains like a void, but I understand that’s how it happened, says Baldauf.
– I understand Fritz and Stig and I understand our perspective as athletes. We are so far. Athletes and coaches have different ideas about future investments and we have called for changes that are not in line with Fritz and Stig’s philosophy and system. Fritz has so much faith in his philosophy and in his system of him, and therefore he will never work in conditions in which he does not trust 100%, just as we can not break in conditions in which we do not believe, says Baldauf.
– We made tough demands, says the wrestler about the rating.
He says he respects the choice of coaches. He is unable to point to obvious candidates to hire as national coach.
– You won’t find anyone in Norway who can fill those shoes. You will hardly find any in Scandinavia. Good luck, says Baldauf.
HARD DEMANDS: Felix Baldauf says wrestlers have made several demands on national team coaches.
Photo: Tobias Prosch Simonsen / NRK
– What do you think this has to say for the future of wrestling in Norway?
– I think it can be a good thing for some, but a bad thing for others. It remains to be seen. Our strength was that we were a group. There is a danger here that the group could be divided as it becomes very individual. But when we practitioners cried out for individualization, then we have to resist when the changes come. You have to stand up for what you’ve asked and said, she says.
One of those who has had success outside of the national team is Exauce Mukubu. He was expelled from the national team earlier this year, but this autumn he won gold at the World Championships in the U23 class. Grace Bullen is also now outside the national team. You won silver at the WC a few months ago.
– We have been making the assessment for a long time because we have been very distant, we athletes and coaches of the national teams. Much has been devoted to what we athletes stand for and what coaches stand for, says Mukubu.
The sports manager: I’m having a bad time
Sports manager Erik Rønstad says he received the message that the coaches would be stepping down on Monday. He regrets that the evaluation process took so long.
– Now things are very fresh. For athletes, there are things that need to be digested. We are mainly concerned with taking care of the athletes and, in the short term, how it should look. It’s not a favorable situation to be in, in view of such an important season where one can qualify for the Paris Olympics, says the sporting director.
He admits they now “have a bad time” towards 2023 with a view to putting a good plan in place for athletes.
– How was the response of the athletes?
– There was a divided response. For some it was a shock. Others likely saw it was in the cards, but it’s clear everyone was surprised when they got the message, Rønstad says.
He was critical of athletes
Fritz Aanes has been the national team wrestling coach since 2017. Stig-André Berge joined the coaching staff after leaving last year after WC Oslo wrestling.
– I didn’t have any expectations in advance, because we struggled with illnesses and injuries. But then I also have to say that the athletes weren’t good enough. They haven’t done the job one hundred per cent and are fighting like the number ones, Aanes said in September of the WC.
– Sometimes you have to take responsibility as a coach, but not here. There’s nothing wrong with the program, it’s wrong with the athletes, Aanes said at the time.
Aanes and Stig-André Berge still did not answer questions from NRK on Thursday.
Stig André Berge dreams of ending his career with a medal at the World Cup in Oslo. 130 kg Oskar Marvik shows that the future of Norwegian wrestling is bright.
