According to them, the only reason for this is not the fact that, due to snow and other conditions, only in some countries it is possible to practice winter sports at the highest level. Namely, biathlon attracts many athletes.
At last weekend’s MK stage in Gällivare, Sweden, 12 relay teams from ten different countries participated in the 4 x 7.5 km men’s cross-country skiing race. The women’s event had even fewer participants: nine teams from six different countries.
The Finnish newspaper Iltalehti writes that these numbers are scandalously small.
“There are several problems in cross-country skiing right now, but the biggest concern is the fact that there are so few teams competing. In particular, the small number of thin women should ring an alarm bell. It seems that there are fewer and fewer teams in the 21st century,” said Reijo Jylhä, a ski expert from Iltalehti and former coach of the Finnish national team.
Teams from Sweden, Norway, Germany, the United States, Finland and Kazakhstan participated in the women’s relay.
Men from Norway, Sweden, Germany, Italy, United States, Finland, Canada, Czech Republic, Poland and Kazakhstan.
For comparison: at the MK stage of the biathlon in Östersund last week, there were relays from 18 different countries in the women’s 4 x 6 race and 20 in the men’s 4 x 7.5 km distance. As you know, the International Biathlon Union (IBU) does not allow teams to field a second or third team.
It was pointed out to Iltalehti that France, Switzerland, Austria, Estonia and Slovenia, which hosted the World Cup last season, were not present at the relays in Gällivare. It was added that due to the war in Ukraine, Russia and Belarus are also unable to participate in international competitions.
2023-12-04 19:39:47
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