– Damn idiots, they ruin the race. We shall have none of that. They are going away. This should have consequences, Henrik Kristoffersen thunders to news. Just after Marco Schwarz had scored in the second half, chaos broke out in the goal area in Gurgl, Austria. A number of demonstrators had lined up in the target area, holding up banners and spraying in the snow. “Hört auf den klimarat” – listen to the climate council – read the banners. REMOVED: The police eventually came in and forcibly removed the protesters. Photo: Piermarco Tacca / AP – Had they hit him again, the TV cameras picked up a furious Henrik Kristoffersen, who looked like he was trying to get to the protesters and was swinging his fists. – I said I have zero respect. I would have beaten him again if I had the opportunity, says Kristoffersen. – Did they say anything to you? – They said they have zero respect for me. The climate demonstration came just before Norwegian Alexander Steen Olsen was due to take action. – It ruins the run for “Sander”. It’s completely idiotic. Sebben (Sebastian Foss Solevåg) was inside the goal area and pulled one away. Someone had to hold me back when they got out of the target area there. Because Solevåg also chose to take matters into his own hands. He entered the target area, dragging both banners and a prostrate protester with him. – I saw that the police were too far away. I saw them trying to get in. It was simply to gain momentum there. They (the protesters) are doing it in the wrong place at the wrong time, says Solevåg to VG. TAKE THE ROOF: Solevåg first took banners from the protesters before dragging one of them out with him. Photo: Martine Sørhus / news – It’s so disrespectful. Say what you want, vote and try to change things from there. But don’t ruin it for people. It’s completely on the nose, it’s completely reprehensible with people like that, says Kristoffersen in a longer tirade. The TV cameras also picked up Kristoffersen throwing snowballs at the demonstrators. So did the Croatian Filip Zubcic. – He hit one protester in the head. He was happy with that, smiles Kristoffersen. Knocked off the stick by the demonstration Eventually the police took over and carried the demonstrators away from the scene. Then Steen Olsen was also put down, after around ten minutes at the top of the hill. – I didn’t catch what happened. It’s abnormal to stop for such a long time in slalom, but it’s part of the sport – being able to switch off and on quickly. I might fail a little at that today. – Did you lose some momentum from that? STOPPED: Alexander Steen Olsen. Photo: AFP – I was actually going to start, but I’m standing and waiting. You don’t know how long. At first it is 10–20 seconds, then it becomes several minutes. If things had not been abnormal, I should have started after ten seconds, Steen Olsen tells news. National team coach Ola Masdal reacts to the fact that safety was not better during the race. – We do think a bit about safety and here runners can come at great speed. Then, above all, it can be scary. We have seen it before when people enter the trail or finish that dangerous situations can arise, he says to news. – Not prepared Race director of the International Ski Federation (FIS) Markus Waldner was surprised that the demonstrators had made the trip to remote Gurgl. – We were not prepared for that. We had a lot of police here, but not in the right places. They needed some time to get there, but I heard that some Vikings are already in action, he grins. – They shouldn’t do it this way, by interrupting the race. We will work on a better solution with the police, we must be prepared, concludes Waldner. news has recently written about the climate challenge for winter sports. Read more about it here: Admitting home advantage For the first time, a World Cup race was run in Gurgl in Austria. The route is completely new for the alpinists, but some had received extensive training. The week before, the Austrian alpinists were on an inspection and got to test the new slope. – It was clearly an advantage, admits Manuel Feller to news. TRIPLE AUSTRIA: Feller joined Schwarz and Matt on the podium. Photo: AP He drove into a superior lead after the first lap. Feller emphasized that they did not get to drive on a perfectly prepared World Cup course, but that they had benefited from getting to know how the route is designed. – We must also have a home ground advantage, right? he grins Feller secured the victory with a good final round, but caught up with the chaos where he stood on top. – The first thing I saw was that Henrik took off in the goal area. “What’s happening here?” I thought. Then I discovered that they were taking the protesters away from the area, says the winner.
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Climate protesters blocked the slalom race – Kristoffersen in harness – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
