Drama in the hotel

It ended happily at the end: the third crowned test for all Polish jumpers was negative.

Therefore, they can still participate in the inaugural Hoppuka race at Oberstdorf in Germany this afternoon. Everything indicates that the first test of Klemens Muranka (26) was a false positive test, which sent the entire team to quarantine.

After the third and negative test, the German health authorities no longer require quarantine. This means a green light for the Polish participation, after the FIS and the local organizer have considered it.

But the last 24 hours have been some of the most dramatic in Hoppuka’s history. Alexander Stöckl and the Norwegian jumpers have stayed in the same hotel as the Poles in Oberstdorf. There has been unprecedented chaos and chaos for some of the best athletes in Poland.

The hotel has the spectacular name of Mutter-Kind-Kurheim Marianne. As soon as Klemens Muranka, 26, received a response to the corona test on Sunday, which was positive, the Poles disappeared from the hotel corridors.

– We didn’t see them anymore. For them, this was a crisis. They were in their rooms and food was provided. They were isolated the whole time. Polish television was outside the hotel. I had to answer their questions. Stöckl tells Dagbladet that there was a lot of pressure.

– We were told on Sunday night that we had to stay away from the other teams. We also had to document that we had not been close to the Poles. The hotel owner had to do it too, but that wasn’t a problem.

Photos on social media show German health authorities arriving at the hotel in full protection. They almost look like people from a moon landing.

– It was chaotic at first, reveals Stöckl.

– But I think the authorities have done a meticulous job. There were people in the hotel here to talk to the Polish team after the first test and then try another round. It wasn’t long before they reappeared and underwent a third test. They received a quick response from the lab.

The Polish Ski Federation even announced on Twitter in the morning that the third round with testing had a negative effect. Thus, the coast is ready to participate in today’s race, after both the FIS and the organizer have added good will.

Sure: Poland can participate

– Have you met the Poles after the decision was made?

– Yes, I saw them after breakfast. They were smiling, says Stöckl.

The Polish team consists of the following jumpers:

Piotr Zyla, Dawid Kubacki, Kamil Stoch, Andrzej Stekala, Aleksander Zniszczol, Klemens Muranka and Maciej Kot.

These are national icons in Poland. When the team was excluded from the race in Oberstdorf, the country’s politicians began to get involved.

The Polish jumping crowd was enraged. Especially since there were rumors that a German physiotherapist had also tested positive, but that this had no consequences for the German team.

This was later confirmed. But the Germans must have managed to document that there has been no close contact with the paratroopers. In total, there have been four positive corona tests at Hoppuka so far. But only one goes to the jumps, Muranka’s false positive.

At a press conference today, Oberstdorf’s career secretary general Florian Stern was asked whether they had experienced pressure from the Polish authorities.

He answered:

– We received a phone call from the Consulate General of Poland in Munich. They asked for a reason to exclude the entire Polish team. We tell what the procedures are and explain why we excluded the team. We did not experience any pressure from the Polish government.

The decision means that 62 jumpers will participate in the first round at Schattenbergbakken starting at 4.30pm. The top 30 will jump the second round in the NRK broadcast race.

The knockout system disappears.

The result of yesterday’s classification is maintained. It has no more practical significance than the fact that the winner, Philipp Aschenwald from Austria, gets the first prize of 5,000 euros (53,000 crowns).

– All Norwegian jumpers are healthy, says Stöckl to Dagbladet.

Halvor Egner Granerud is the favorite to win Hoppuka overall.