An absurd rule change is coming in cross-country skiing. Norwegians are itching again!

The past season has clearly demonstrated the dependence of the International Ski Federation on the actions of specific characters. The Norwegians set the tone for all decisions, while other countries either agree or are forced to silently obey.

The current concept of relationships in world skiing is very easy to explain. At the helm of the cross-country skiing committee is Vegard Ulvang, a well-known former athlete who has been involved in the development of this sport in the FIS since 2006.

Over the course of a long career, the Norwegian seems to have lost touch with reality and now offers a killer solution in order to amuse his vanity.

The Vanity of a Big Boss

The name of Vegard Ulvang is familiar to both adult fans and young ski lovers. The older generation will remember him for his brilliant performances in the early 90s. He was especially successful at the 92 Olympics in Albertville, where he won three gold medals. Great skier, to be sure.

The sportsman from Kirkenes also tried to achieve laudatory epithets in the leadership position in the FIS cross-country skiing committee. It must be admitted that, to some extent, he succeeded. Until now, many experts believe that Vegard’s main achievement is the creation of the Tour de Ski Christmas multi-day race. In 2006 Ulvang and Jörg Kapol (FIS Executive Director) organized the first race and since then it has been the highlight of every season.

Alexander Bolshunov / Photo: © Maxim Thore / Keystone Press Agency / Global Look Press

In 2022, the term of office of the Norwegian expires, but the desire to always be the first is still with him. Less than a month before the end of the work, Vegard openly admits that he wants to complete it with a historic act.

— I hope to complete the work with a historic decision in two weeks. Now under consideration is a proposal regarding the new season and the next, on equal distances for women and men. If the ski world agrees with me, there is hope that the proposal will be accepted. It will meet resistance, not least in Norway. But we have received positive signals, in particular from Sweden, Finland, the USA and many other countries. I bet that the offer will be accepted,” said the three-time Olympic champion.

The Norwegian offers distances of 10, 20 and 50 km for men and women. The confidence with which he broadcasts this idea makes us think that a lot has already been decided within the committee, and it remains just to wait for May 18th. There will be a vote on that day.

Is it worth worrying?

At first glance at the Norwegian proposal, it seems that there is nothing wrong with it. Girls in the modern world rightly fight for equality, so identical distances at the World Cup stages seem to be not bad.

But there is another, image side of the issue. Of the 30 races that were scheduled for women in the 2021/22 season, the marathon was held only once. There were supposed to be 14 races for 10 km, but due to the cancellation of some of the stages, only 10 passed. And, for example, as many as 12 sprints were planned, 9 took place.

That is, short-distance races occupy almost half of the entire World Cup program. And every year the number of sprint starts grew, because they are much more attractive to the viewer. Interestingly, this trend was supported by Ulvang himself when he initiated the Tour de Ski. Here is what the Norwegian said after the first multi-day event in February 2007.

— The main idea worked exactly as we expected. Our goal was to bring together all the riders who specialize in different disciplines in one big competition. And just like the Tour de France, we saw all the world’s best sprinters and distance racers in all six stages. Recently, our sport began to develop in two different directions, and the Tour de Ski will help us combine these directions,” said the Norwegian.

After 16 years, Ulvang comes up with a controversial solution. On the one hand, girls will be forced to run a marathon 20 km longer, and a skiathlon – 5 km longer. On the other hand, men will no longer have races of 30 and 15 km, that is, they will receive a reduction in distances.

What world does he live in?

While we are thinking about what Ulvang’s ideas might lead to, our Veronika Stepanova has already expressed her position.

What world does he live in? There is no connection with reality. It’s specifically about the idea of ​​making 50 for women. World Cup races are endlessly canceled or, as in Lillehammer, moved to other tracks due to lack of snow. To be honest, no one wants to cook circles over 5 km. — expensive and television against. We have already discussed the prospect of running more than 30 km among ourselves at the World Cup – I will tell you a secret: in general, I have not met a single person! — wrote the Olympic champion in the social network.

It seems that Veronica is a little dramatic about the marathon, because it was only once in the season and the number of such races is unlikely to grow. But about the interest for spectators and organizers, the champion is certainly right.

Why increase the distance for girls, when all previous years the race has been constantly reduced. The development of this sport over the past 15 years confirms this trend. A development that Ulvang himself initiated, and now decided to perform a strange maneuver.

If we put aside the arguments about equal rights, then the initiative of the Norwegian official is devoid of logic and simply looks absurd. It is obvious that Ulvang does not shy away from anything to go down in history. And he doesn’t care that the new rules will kill ski racing as we know and love it.