Photo: Bildbyrån
A new rule in the Tour de Ski has become a big talking point lately.
The Swedish management obviously does not like it, which has caused the Norwegian national team manager Ulf Morten Aune to scold Anders Byström.
– I get so fucking irritated, he says to Expressen.
It may seem like the smallest rule change in the world. A little petite thing that no one should really have a strong opinion about. But the talked-about “climbing vest” has led to a row between Sweden and Norway, already two months before the Tour de Ski even started.
Anders Byström does not like the rule
On December 28, just after the Christmas celebrations, this year’s Tour de Ski starts. Most things will be exactly as usual, except that several skaters will cancel their participation because they want to focus on the WC. There is one more thing that will be a little different. This year, the tour’s sharpest climbers will be crowned.
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The skiers who are the fastest up the slopes during the distance races with a mass start will get points and those who lead the respective class will wear a special climbing vest. In the end, whoever was the best gets SEK 75,000 as a bonus.
– I’m a little scared. We have talked about it having to be easy for the viewers to understand. It has to be easier. It must not be too messy. And with another vest, the question becomes: “well, what’s that now then?”. There is a climber jersey, a sprint jersey and then the overall leader. I’m thinking about whether we’re messing with it too much,” says the national team manager Anders Byström to Expressen.
The Norwegian leader supports Fis
He and the Swedish management, and to some extent the riders, think that it is a somewhat unnecessary and stupid rule to introduce. But the Norwegian national team manager has got it Ulf Morten Aune to rage. He believes that Sweden had as long as possible to air its views at Fis.
– My impression is that there is too little communication internally in the Swedish Skiing Association. And it’s sad. This is how we talk down our own sport. There will be complaints against Fis – but it is us nations who are involved who are Fis. So I get damn annoyed, he says to the evening newspaper.
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He thinks, in contrast to Byström, that Fis made certain things more clear this year. That they listened to and took on board the criticism that existed before and actually made some concrete changes. He likes the new arrangement and thinks it’s a good idea with the new climbing vest.
– It’s to get more speed during the mass start races, which can otherwise sometimes get a bit boring. We want to make each stage more interesting And everyone agreed that this is smart, he says.
There are of course many different opinions about this. Are the climbing vest, prizes and bonuses needed to make the Tour de Ski more interesting?
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