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This is stated in a press release on Tuesday morning.
So it was as feared: Ruka was closer to the start and end of the World Cup for Norwegian cross-country stars.
The Norwegian Ski Association adds that there are no plans for Norwegian participation in the Tour de Ski as the situation is now.
– This is a difficult decision, but after extensive discussions internally, we believe it is the right thing to do for cross-country skiing as the situation is now, says cross-country committee leader Torbjørn Skogstad.
– You must prioritize the health of professionals.
Cross country coach Espen Bjervig tells NRK that the top priority at all times has been the health of the athletes. Therefore, now they have to resort to something so drastic to stop all practitioners.
– We still do not know the consequences of the infection in a fitness practitioner, who depends on a good lung capacity. Therefore, it has been the number one priority not to infect an athlete, because it can ruin the season and possibly the race, says Bjervig.
– Keeping athletes healthy is therefore the number one goal this year. The World Cup in Oberstdorf is the second goal. The World Cup is goal number three. And based on the experiences we have gained in the World Cup so far, we see that it will be difficult to achieve all these goals. That is why we now prioritize the World Cup and the health of athletes, Bjervig continues.
Follow Klæbo and Iversen
NRK sportscaster Jan Petter Saltvedt believes this is the right decision.
– They demonstrate responsibility, prioritize the long term and listen to runners in a difficult time. A good sign of cross country direction, says Saltvedt.
The decision comes after Johannes Høsflot Klæbo and Emil Iversen arrived on Monday with the message that they are leaving all races before Christmas. The latter went even further by dropping the Tour de Ski.
FIRST: Johannes Høsflot Klæbo already said yesterday that he would not go to the World Cup before Christmas.
Photo: Emmi Korhonen / Lehtikuva / NTB
– The uncertainty intensified even more during our stay in Ruka. It seemed safer before we left than the situation in Finland, Klæbo said on Monday.
Lose important careers
Subsequently, it turned out, among other things, that a Russian athlete was allowed to move freely within the stadium area with a crown.
It is now clear that no Norwegian cross country skier will be able to ride the big races before Christmas.
This can make it even more difficult to win the World Cup overall from Klæbo & co. lose important points.
In Davos (12-13 December) there is a sprint and an individual 10/15 kilometer start. In Dresden (19-20), the national team loses another sprint and team sprint.
