A Finnish columnist believes that Frida Karlsson and Ebba Andersson deserve better in the fight for the overall World Cup.
Then the Norwegian expert Petter Skinstad strikes back – with a furious outburst about the Swedes.
– They piss on the sport, he says.
The cross-country skiing world cup is coming to an end, and Maja Dahlqvist has the chance to win the sprint cup. But in the fight for the overall World Cup, no Swede is even close. Even though Ebba Andersson and Frida Karlsson had two fantastic seasons, with success in both the Tour de Ski and the WC, there is nothing to do about the overall victory in the World Cup.
Rages against Frida and Ebba
And it has created big reactions in Finland(!). Journalist and columnist Santtu Silvennoinen writes in Iltalehti that Tiril Udnes Weng, who looks set to win the overall World Cup, is a significantly worse skier than both Frida Karlsson and Ebba Andersson. As I said, the Swedes are not close to threatening the title, as they have missed too many competitions, and that makes Silvennoinen react, and points to the injustices of the system.
But in Norway they really, really don’t agree. There is only one skater, Jessie Diggins, who can threaten Tiril Udnes Weng for the overall title. And Petter Skinstad, valued expert on Norwegian TV2, believes that Frida Karlsson and Ebba Andersson do not deserve better.
– They piss on sports, he says to the newspaper Nettavisen.
He also believes that the columnist in Finland completely misses the point, and he rages at the same time against Karlsson and Andersson.
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“Pissing on sports”
He believes that the system as it is works perfectly.
– I don’t think the criticism belongs here. The point of the World Cup is not to crown the individual best skier. The purpose is to determine who collects the most points from the start of the season to the end of the season. No one says that it is the best skier who wins, he says.
Skinstad believes at the same time that it is Frida Karlsson and Ebba Andersson who should be criticized, rather than the system.
– You can turn it around. Why in the world have Swedish and Finnish skiers skipped the Tour de Ski and World Cup races before the World Cup, to prepare for the championship? Tiril Udnes Weng is rewarded in the World Cup because she goes to all the competitions, and then she is potentially punished in the championship because she has not completed the Tour de Ski, other competitions, or prioritized training, he says.
Skinstad continues:
– I pay tribute to Tiril and wish that all skiers did as she did, namely that as many as possible compete as often as possible. She is the one who managed it, everyone else has misunderstood.
This is also why Skinstad believes that Karlsson and Andersson “piss on sports”.
– It is completely appropriate to stand over World Cup competitions if it is for the right reasons, that you cannot get to the start. But apart from that, you have to see it as your job. They piss on their own sport.
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