“How stupid can you be?”

Norwegian skiing is in a crisis.
Now Petter Northug rages against an embarrassing detail.
– How stupid can you be?, says the icon.

There is no doubt that Sweden has the world’s best national sprint team on the women’s side. In recent years, the distance has increased even further, and since Therese Johaug ended her career, Norway has fallen significantly behind even when it comes to distance races. And this weekend it was clearer than in a very long time.

Can’t afford to send riders

While Swedish skaters were first, second, third, fourth and fifth in the sprint last Saturday, not a single Norwegian skater made it past the quarter-finals. In Sunday’s distance race, they also didn’t have a single rider in the top ten. But it is not only sporting that Norwegian skiing is in a crisis. Last week it was announced that they cannot even afford to send all the riders to the upcoming competitions in North America.

This means, among other things, that Tiril Udnes Weng will not be allowed to compete due to the financial crisis that the ski association is in. But at the same time, the reactions have been strong in Norway, as the chairman of the Norwegian cross-country committee, Torbjörn Skogstad, has an annual salary of almost 900,000 kroner.

– As the situation is right now, it’s probably only a matter of time before they do something with the fee for him, says Petter Northug to the Norwegian Nettavisen.

“How stupid can you get?”

The fact that Norway cannot afford to send skiers to competitions in the World Cup, at the same time that the chairperson for long distance charges such a high fee, of course stands out in the eyes of many. Also at Petter Northug. Especially when the salary was raised just six months ago.

– It doesn’t look so good when you see what kind of measures have been taken against the athletes. Now that Skogstad’s salary has been raised, you have to ask yourself: How stupid can it get?, Northug has said.

Northug was already clear then, in connection with the salary increase, that Norwegian skiing needs to act before it is too late.

– It seems so strange. There is discussion among the riders about what is actually happening. I don’t understand how Skogstad himself can sit in such a role and have that salary. I feel that it will be wrong when the situation is as it is, the icon has said.