Photo: Bildbyrån
Several Swedish cross-country skiers have already been forced to cancel World Cup competitions due to illness.
Now the national team management is forced to act, to put an end to the spread.
– We have clearly been affected and must tighten up the routines further in the future, says national team manager Anders Byström in the Expressen podcast “Vallaboden”.
Even though it has only been three weeks of the World Cup season, the Swedish cross-country team, both the men and the women, have fallen ill one by one. Cold symptoms have forced the riders to cancel competitions. Last in line was Jonna Sundling and Johanna Hagströmbut also Lynn Svahn, Maja Dahlqvist, Jens Burman and William Poromaa has been affected.
Anders Byström about the chaos in the national team
In total, there are ten riders who have been forced to withdraw their bids so far. Now the national team management is forced to take measures. In Expressen’s ski podcast “Vallaboden”, the national team manager talks Anders Byström about the start of the season.
– It’s not a great start, I can’t say that. We hope that we have shaken off this now and have a smoother sailing into January and February, he says in the podcast.
READ MORE: Ebba Andersson’s great injury joy after Therese Johaug’s miss
He says that the coaching staff recently had a crisis meeting where they discussed the spread of infection and how they should act now.
– We think we have pushed hard with the routines we already have, such as using mouth protection, washing hands and staying away from people who are sick. But apparently it hasn’t been enough. We have clearly been affected and must tighten up the routines further in the future, says Byström, who himself caught a cold and had to go home.
The accommodation where all the Swedes got sick
Anders Byström and the others suspect that a large hotel complex in Norwegian Lillehammer, where the Swedes lived together with other national teams, is the source of infection. Most of the people who fell ill were in connection with the stay there.
– It is easy to see it as a melting pot for diseases. We can’t do anything about it now, but going forward we must be careful about which accommodations we have. We must stay as isolated as possible to avoid diseases, he says.
READ MORE: Kristine Stavås Skistad and Linn Svahn are sawn in Norway
At the same time, he knows that many skiers from Norway and Great Britain have also fallen ill. It belongs to the season in some way. It is now up to the Swedes to close themselves off more and be smart when it comes to routines around hotels, transport and competitions. There is no World Cup competition this weekend, but instead a one-week break until the Tour de Ski starts in Toblach, Italy, on December 28.
This doesn’t sound very good. It is clear that the national team management has to solve this and make sure that all skaters and everyone in the team sharpen up and stay healthy. We are cheering you on and want to see as many Swedes in the Tour de Ski as possible.
Share