The Norwegian cross-country team found itself in the middle of turmoil, when Frode Pedersen, who had been the maintenance man for the great skier Johannes Hösflot Kläbo for years, gave a startling interview to the Norwegian newspaper VG.
Norwegian national ski team, and a superstar John Hösflot Kläbonworked as a maintenance man Frode Pedersen downloaded by a Norwegian newspaper In an interview with VG serious accusations against the national team and its maintenance team. He said, among other things, that he faced bullying, backstabbing and sabotage at work.
Pedersen’s exit and the issues he raised surprised the world champion Aino-Kaisa Saarinen completely.
– Really surprising. I have never come across such terrible sabotage, says Saarinen, who has competed at World Cup level for 20 years in his active career.
One of Pedersen’s most serious accusations is that one of Kläbo’s best pairs of freestyle skis was taken and scratched before the 15 km race at the World Ski Championships in Planica last winter. Saarinen wonders how the top skier has been treated.
– Here, Kläbo has been attacked and the maintenance man’s work has been sabotaged, Saarinen sums up.
Cooperation at the center of everything
Frode Pedersen served as Kläbo’s credit officer in 2017-2023. During this period, Kläbo won five Olympic golds, nine World Cup golds and the overall World Cup four times. Pedersen’s contract with the Norwegian Ski Association was not renewed after last season.
Pedersen told VG that he thought the maintenance team had an unhealthy work atmosphere for years. There was bullying and inappropriate behavior in the group. For example, a sign with the text “HOMO” hung on a couple of different occasions in the service truck.
– That’s the harassment, bullying and harsh jargon I mean. That doesn’t suit anyone, Pedersen told VG.
His claims are against everything that Saarinen has heard about the activities of the Norwegian ski team. For years, the operation has been based on cooperation and maintaining a common spirit.
– They have always emphasized that the country’s success is based on helping others. Even the biggest stars help the whole team, Saarinen reveals.
He tells an example of a skiing seminar organized in Norway a few years ago. In the event, among other things, the most successful cross-country skier of all time Marit Björgen and the Norwegian ski coaches told how the national team works and creates success together.
Saarinen states that if Pedersen’s claims are true, the situation is challenging for athletes. Questions, tensions and even fear arise.
– Frankly speaking, this is a scary situation for an athlete. It makes the athlete wonder if I or my maintenance man is the “next target”, when it is not known who has done what, Saarinen estimates.
He says he has never heard or seen anything like it. According to Saarinen, the accusations of work sabotage, bullying and inappropriate behavior are really serious. He calls for better management and the responsibility of the maintenance manager.
The maintenance manager is ultimately responsible for the group’s work.
– This cannot be allowed to happen. The maintenance manager should have been aware of the issues and taken care of them, Saarinen reflects.
Trust is built
Saarinen, who has skied 354 competitions in the World Cup, believes that it is time for serious discussions in Norwegian skiing. Manager of the Norwegian cross country team Espen Bjervig told VG that the country’s skiing federation has opened an investigation into Pedersen’s claims.
– The athletes certainly want this to go through. This really affects their performance. You can say that we are starting to build trust all over again, Saarinen emphasizes.
Kläbo is currently not part of the strength of the Norwegian national skiing team, but he trains “on his own”. He also expressed in the summer his disappointment at the end of Pedersen’s contract.
Saarinen says that a skier’s personal ski guardian is always part of the win. In maintenance teams, work and decisions are made together, but especially the maintenance men of star skiers receive special attention.
– Even as a custodian of Ikköstyk, you get to shine and, unfortunately, jealousy can arise from that, Saarinen analyzed.