Moa Ilar’s decision to pass teammate Maja Dahlqvist in the sprint semi-final in Lahti in the last competition last year became a big topic of conversation.
Ilar was washed up afterwards while Dahlqvist won the sprint cup just ahead of Nadine Fähndrich, Switzerland.
Ilar had to receive both hate and threats, and clearer rules from the International Skiing Federation, Fis, were requested from several quarters.
Fis has now discussed the subject extensively both during the spring, summer and autumn. No rule is being rewritten, but it has been agreed that tactical driving is part of the sport. So no difference should be made between whether the tactical driving is obvious or not.
“Difficult to identify”
Race director Michal Lamplot tells SVT Sport that tactical driving can come in many different forms and both before and during the races, which makes it difficult to decide.
– It may be obvious but sometimes not easy to discover. It is difficult to identify prohibited behavior and make decisions about it, he says.
“Great sporting moment”
Moa Ilar herself says that she is proud of the decision she made, even if she would have liked to avoid the aftermath.
– I think I made a brave decision. Then there was a lot of fuss afterwards which is perhaps not as funny. But it shows that sports touch many people.
Women’s coach Stefan Thomson himself thinks that the incident received too much attention, and looks positively at the team’s performance.
– It is incredibly beautiful to see how you help your teammate. It was incredibly large. I myself stand in the goal line with tears in my eyes. It’s a big sporting moment for me.