PHOTO: Bildbyrån
The long-awaited Biathlon World Cup 2024 begins today.
But now Norway is directing major criticism at neighboring Sweden.
– It is wrong and that they do not keep up with the times, says NRK expert Synnøve Solemdal.
So the time has come for another Biathlon World Cup. But already the competitions have even started the rivalry between the neighboring countries Sweden and Norway.
Norwegian criticism
The Norwegians are now accusing the Swedes of being environmental criminals because the blue-yellow national biathlon team has taken a private jet to the championship in the Czech Nove Mesto.
– I think it’s wrong and that they don’t keep up with the times, says the biathlon expert Synnøve Solemdal to NRK.
– I think it is unnecessary to take a private flight to the Czech Republic, there are probably quite good connections between Stockholm and Prague. They should take a look at their emissions and think about cost/benefit.
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According to calculations by the Green Producers Tool, private aviation emits 57 tons of carbon dioxide a day, compared to the Norwegian national team that emitted 40.9 tons of carbon dioxide during the entire biathlon season. The Norwegians traveled regularly to the WC and got rid of 11.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide.
Sweden responds
The Swedish WC skiers can understand the criticism of private planes, but they are also very grateful that the Swedish Biathlon Union covers the costs and arranges as smooth a transport as possible.
– We have taken private planes in recent years and have been successful in the championships. It is something we want to continue with, says Martin Ponsiluoma to the Norwegian site.
– We started doing it during the corona pandemic and realized how good it was, says Sebastian Samuelsson.
At the same time, Norway is doing its utmost to reduce its climate footprint and the national team took the bus to the first World Cup competition of the season in Östersund. During the entire season, they have only used four flights, then with scheduled flights.
– “Sebbe” (Samuelsson) is very keen on doing things right and criticizes left and right. So he has to give an answer to this, says Norske Tarjei Bö to NRK.
– Sweden is here to catch up with us and they have to take extreme measures to catch up with Norway.
“It’s crazy”
Swedish national team star Elvira Öberg is now fighting back against the criticism.
– We don’t fly private planes to win against Norway, but it is to beat all other nations as well, she tells the Norwegian website and explains that it is also about reducing the spread of diseases.
– We like it because it’s easier to stay healthy. We don’t have to deal with so many other people and get an easier trip. I am very grateful to the association. Obviously it’s not the best thing to do, but we’d have flown regardless and are a great squad, even if it’s not entirely defensible.
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But the Norwegian biathlon expert does not buy the Swedes’ reasoning at all.
– It just seems that they think it’s crazy. Now we are in a situation where we have to start reducing emissions and then we have to start with the low-hanging fruit, says Solemdal.
– You can perhaps avoid some diseases, but I think you can still do that with a mask, your own lunch bag and taking care of your hand hygiene. I don’t think they get any advantage when it comes to the races.
READ MORE: Reveals the chaos just the day before the World Cup – Johannes Lukas was forced to act: “It boiled in him”
Sebastian Samuelsson responds to the Norwegian criticism and admits that he does think about his climate footprint.
– It is not good for the environment, but there will be no trips to Thailand when I retire, he says in a cold statement.
How do you think it goes for Sweden in the Biathlon World Cup? Share the article and have your say!
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