The Norwegians anoint their VIP guests in a handsome setting. It annoys smaller countries.
Norway’s performance in cross-country skiing annoys Planica, even though the World Championships haven’t even started yet.
In Vuonomaa, regardless of the race distance, there are a bunch of athletes fighting for the gold medal to hit the starting line. The dominance of the Norwegians has badly dampened the sport’s international popularity. In Finland and Sweden, the popularity of skiing is not waning, but in many Central European countries the situation is different.
Norway’s success is no surprise. The country’s financial investment in “national sports” is in a class of its own. It becomes clear in a harsh way in the competition village of the World Championships in Planica, Slovenia.
The Norwegian Ski Federation has brought a large two-story “motorhome” more familiar from formula pits to the place for its VIP guests. From there, the invited guests of the Norwegian Ski Association can train for Norwegian success. Of course, the Ski Federation hopes that the competition will continue to spawn lucrative cooperation agreements.
A photo of the VIP guest base in the tweet below. The story continues after the immersion.
Busyness pays. Just parking the VIP truck at the parade ground for the duration of the Games costs the Norwegian Ski Federation 6,000 euros. A pittance for the fjords, but huge for the ski associations of all other countries.
“What the hell?”
Petra Majdic is the most successful cross-country skier in Slovenian history. Olli Horttana
The hustle of the Norwegians arouses heartburn in the host country Slovenia, the most successful cross-country skier of all time Petra in Majdic.
The Olympic and World Cup medalist, who celebrated victory 24 times in the World Cup, uploaded a harsh response to the Norwegians on Norway’s TV2.
– What the hell is Norway doing? Does Norway need to push smaller countries even smaller? It’s nice that they can afford to pay a parking fee of 6,000 euros for sponsors. However, cross-country skiing should currently bridge the competitive and economic gap between small and large countries more painfully than ever, Majdic stated.
In an interview with TV2, the Norwegian Ski Federation is told that the country offered to share a VIP truck with the Swedish Ski Federation. However, Sweden refused the offer.
Planica’s World Championships start on Wednesday with the pre-qualifying races. The first day of competition is Thursday, when the medals for the cross-country sprint races are decided.