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Both Kristine Stavås Skistad and Linn Svahn are concerned about their private lives and saw Therese Johaug’s call to be seen more in social media.
The Norwegian expert and columnist Petter Soleng Skinstad, in turn, thinks that the stars have misunderstood what the debate is really about.
– It’s scary to see that resistance, he says to TV2.
When Therese Johaug36, now making a comeback in cross-country skiing, she has a call for all her competitors. She thinks that all elite skaters have a responsibility to offer themselves and make the sport more attractive, preferably by being a little more visible on social media. But there are two people who saw her idea completely.
Svahn and Stavås Skistad agree
Lynn Svahn25, is a strong proponent of the concept of privacy. She does not want to share what is going on in her life, when it is not about skiing.
– Completely idiotic. I don’t think it should be something you need to do. So I think she is completely wrong. I think there is a very big difference between what you choose to share privately and what is sporting, says Svahn to Sportbladet.
READ MORE: Big worries in the national skiing team after Linn Svahn’s new announcement
Also the Norwegian sprint star Kristine Stavå’s Ski City25, wants to be secretive and keep his privacy to himself.
– She (Johaug) says a lot. You may not need to listen to everything. I very much agree with Linn. If people want to keep their private lives private, I fully understand that. Not everyone wants to share everything on Instagram. It’s not something you should, she says.
The expert goes hard for Svahn and Stavås Skistad
The former elite skier Petter Soleng Skinstad35, understands what Svahn and Stavås Skistad mean, but he thinks they are lazy who misunderstand what the debate is really about… perhaps on purpose.
– Kristine Stavås Skistad and Linn Svahn both completely misunderstand what the discussion is about. They misinterpret Therese, and maybe they do it on purpose to avoid taking a stand on the dirty work they themselves do with social media, says the TV2 expert to his own channel.
– It is frightening to see that opposition to what is the very lifeblood of the sport. This is and will be entertainment, he continues.
READ MORE: Petter Northug hits back after criticism of Kristine Stavå’s Skistad
Soleng Skinstad explains that it is not at all about sharing everything that happens in one’s private life, showing off one’s home, one’s family or reporting exactly what one is doing all the time. Both he and Therese Johaug just want there to be a little more involvement in sports, and it is easier to succeed in that if the active people are actually easy-going, cheerful and open in social media.
– That Stavås Skistad is not comfortable with revealing his private life, no one has asked either. This is where they completely misunderstand Therese, he says.
Paying tribute to Frida Karlsson as a good example
He says that Therese Johaug, Frida Karlsson, Johannes Hösflot Kläbo and Jessie Diggins are the best in the world at combining strong performances both on the ski track and on social media. What they do, which he wishes Linn Svahn and Kristine Stavås Skistad would do, is that they post content from the daily training and are always accommodating when it comes to media requests.
– They misunderstood the responsibility towards the sport. It is about creating interest and attracting new fans for the sport to maintain its position. It is very, very unfortunate. It is frightening that two such young ladies born in the 21st century do not understand what a lady born in the 80s has understood for many years. They are the future. I hope they realize that that job is about so much more than exposing their private lives, no one expects that. People want to get to know the people better and see how they work, says the expert.
What do you think about this? Do you agree with Linn Svahn and Kristine Stavås Skistad or do you see it the same way as Petter Soleng Skinstad and Therese Johaug? Feel free to comment on Sportbibeln’s Facebook page.
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