Swedish score: equal skating for all

The financial situation of many small cross-country skiing countries such as Switzerland, France, Italy and Great Britain is critical for many small cross-country skiing countries such as Switzerland, France, Italy and Great Britain, competition director of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (Fis) Pierre Minnierre, says in an interview at VG.

It’s the result of a longer negative snail with declining TV times – often on pay channels – fewer sponsors, lower public interest and fewer talents wanting to skate.

This, in turn, leads to difficulties in creating organizations that can compete with giants such as Norway and Sweden.

Guri Knotten, the new head of cross-country skiing in Switzerland, proposes to the Norwegian VG a joint sponsorship team for all countries, in order to create financial conditions for more countries to conduct cross-country skiing at the highest level.

This proposal is supported Sweden national team skaters William Boroma and Kali Halvarsson:

If everyone went down the same slopes, I think smaller countries would save incredible money and be more. We talk a lot about some of the countries that have more difficulty and we have to get everyone involved. This is an issue worth addressing, says William Boruma, who continues:

– We already have this when we skate (make sure all skates are the same). This is an issue that deserves to be raised.

William Boruma states that cross-country competitions have already been arranged in Sweden, for example in the Scandinavian Cup, where skaters compete on skates of the same show.

Callie Halvarson agrees:

It will make this sport more fair. It should be possible to get 60 pairs of skates if we run 60 people in the World Cup. Then it is possible to solve that you have very similar skates. This is a physical sport and you have to calm the excitement that is in the material, he says.

Swedish herd manager Peter Maelback However, do not believe in the idea.

– I don’t think he will succeed in classic skating. There, it’s individually organized the way you want the mounting wall and skates you want to keep going, says Myhlback.

Anders Bystrom, Sweden’s manager, says the idea of ​​evenly-padded skates could become a problem for Fis.

– We will certainly discuss it in the Fis group in September, when we have a meeting. If there is a concrete proposal, it will be interesting to see how this can be done in practice. Perhaps we should move towards equalizing the differences on the track side to make it a fairer sport. Obviously, we have to see how more countries can participate and fight at the summit, says Bystrom.

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