– It is completely unreasonable to impose a work ban on him, as we are experiencing it here, says NISO’s general manager, Kristoffer Vatshaug. On Wednesday, news was able to tell about the special situation Nedregotten is in and the conflict with its own association. Very briefly, he has got a job as national team coach for Estonia, but feels he is being refused the job by the Norwegian curling association. This despite the fact that Nedregotten has no agreement with the Norwegian association. The Norwegian Curling Association believes that Nedregotten will contribute to direct competition for the Norwegian women’s team if he works for the Estonian women’s team. NISO is the trade union for Norwegian athletes. Together with the Norwegian athletes’ committee, they now want to look at the regulations of the Norwegian Sports Confederation. – When Magnus is not given the framework conditions he needs to be able to work to achieve the goals set by Norwegian sports itself, then we cannot give him a work ban, says Vatshaug. Will give the athletes more power In the spring, Nedregotten quit his job to find a job that could be better combined with investing towards the big goal: Olympic gold in 2026. Nedregotten eventually got a job as national team coach in Estonia. But the Norwegian curling association has put its foot down and asked Nedregotten to reconsider the Estonian job. This happened at the same time that NISO, together with the Norwegian athletes’ committee, was in the process of looking at the regulations of the Norwegian Sports Confederation. The work involves, among other things, clarifying the regulations relating to image rights. It was those rights that led to the major conflicts in the Ski Association this winter. BET: Magnus Nedregotten is aiming for the Olympics in 2026. To achieve his goals, he has quit his regular job and would rather combine the venture with a coaching assignment. Photo: Nariman El-Mofty / AP As it is today, a federation, in Nedregotten’s case the curling federation, can decide the content of a national team contract more or less freely. A little simplified, the athlete has nothing to say about whether he wants to represent Norway. – For us, it’s about the balance in the regulations. It is all too clear that this is made for the special federations and for the special sports in the first place, and not for the athletes, says Vatshaug. Dismisses dual role Nedregotten, who is also head of the Norwegian athletes’ committee, believes his own federation is unreasonable when they put their foot down for his new job as Estonian national team coach. – It pisses me off. There is one main goal that is in my head, that is to win the last Olympic medal that I don’t already have in my closet. I just hope that they (the curling association) try a little better to see the athletes’ side of the matter and that they realize that it is up to them themselves to create good framework conditions for us to achieve the goals they have set, says Nedregotten to news. FRUSTRATED: Magnus Nedregotten believes the Norwegian curling association is doing too little to finance the investment of the national teams. Therefore, he must rather look outside Norway to take on coaching assignments. Photo: Dag Robert Johansen / news He is supported by NISO, who will now take a round with several athletes to find out how the legislation can take the athletes into account to a greater extent. – Because what we see when we talk to the athletes is that they are also sitting on good solutions here. Norwegian sports can be perceived as a bit conservative and perhaps lack the mechanisms to listen to the athletes and understand their everyday life. Then NISO and the athletes’ committee are absolutely crucial to opening that channel, says Vatshaug. – You do this work together with the performance committee, of which Nedregotten is the leader. He is part of this conflict. What do you think of the dual role? – I also feel that it has been worked on over time. That Magnus has ended up in the leadership role is a good sign. This means that we also have the opportunity to influence, because he knows the sport from the inside. And of course we have come to work on this regardless of whether it was Magnus or other athletes who faced this problem. The Curling Association does not wish to comment on the matter. MEDALS: Nedregotten took silver in the 2022 Olympics and bronze in the 2018 Olympics together with partner and wife Kristin Skaslien. Photo: Brynn Anderson / AP Considered quitting because of finances Historically, rowers have been among those who have struggled to make ends meet. Until the Olympics in Paris, Kjetil Borch has been a prominent figure in this national team. The rowers, like the curlers, have a long history of medals in international championships. Borch points to a challenge as an athlete: You have no working environment law to deal with. No pension accrual. If you are also involved in a poorly paid sport, it is a very demanding situation. – As a professional profession, we are 70 years behind. We have no pension rights, no working environment law. We are given short notice when we are going to travel around the world. Running a family life is very difficult, says Borch, at the same time as he emphasizes that this is naturally a profession that you choose yourself. FINANCE: Kjetil Borch is among the Norwegian athletes who have struggled to get the finances going. Photo: Fredrik Varfjell / NTB He believes Nedregotten’s situation is a good example: an athlete who tries to make ends meet, but where the solution is not necessarily exactly what the association hoped for. – The working conditions we are under are not worthy of being an employee in Norway. There are many athletes who are without a national team contract. Many associations do not have the expertise or resources to operate professionally enough. Then much greater responsibility is placed on the athletes, says Borch. Borch believes that the requirements and goals for Norwegian top athletes do not always match the framework conditions that are given. He himself received an offer as a coach abroad over a year ago. At the time, he was so fed up with living in poor financial conditions that he considered quitting and accepting the job. – I didn’t, I wanted to go to the Olympics in Paris. It’s probably not a situation many athletes find themselves in, but the situation I see is athletes with part-time jobs trying to make ends meet. While the athletes you meet internationally have government jobs that also have large bonuses when they get results. Published 07.09.2024, at 18.28
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Magnus Nedregotten feels opposed by the curling association – NISO will change NIF’s law – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
