Five tournament triumphs, semifinals in the ATP playoffs and ranked as part of the absolute world elite. This is last year’s decision for Casper Ruud, but it was not enough to get A-status from the Olympic summit. When the lists for 2022 were published, the tennis profile still had the letter B behind its name. news’s Jan Petter Saltvedt thinks it falls on its own unreasonableness. – That qualifying for the ATP finals in tennis in itself is not more than enough to qualify for a shiny A-scholarship in Norway, is in itself a bit absurd, he says. – It unfortunately shows again how square these rules are practiced by the Olympic Summit, the sports commentator concludes. TO THE FINAL: Casper Ruud meets Rafael Nadal in the Roland Garros final in Paris. Photo: Michel Euler / AP Ruud has just played for the final of the Roland Garros tournament in Paris. The Grand Slam tournament takes place at the exact same facility where Olympic medals will be awarded two years ahead. Lars Gjerdåker, president of the Norwegian Tennis Association, asks Olympiatoppen to change the rules. – Casper is not a B-athlete. They should look at how they measure quality, Gjerdåker continues. WIN: The tournament in Gstaad, Switzerland was one of many of Ruud’s highlights in 2021. Photo: Peter Schneider / AP – Bigger than Olympic medal A total of 16 athletes and two teams in summer sports were awarded the Olympic Summit A scholarship in February. In order to receive an A scholarship, certain criteria must be met. The following results are stated on the Olympic Summit’s website that normally trigger an A-scholarship: Medal in the Olympic Games or Paralympics Placement among the top three in the World Cup overall in Olympic or Paralympic sports The Olympic Summit also has criteria that, upon further consideration, can trigger an A-scholarship in the Olympics, PL, WC, in special cases EC, and / or competitions at the corresponding level. Tennis president Gjerdåker believes that the criteria place too much emphasis on medals. – Medals are not awarded so often in Tennis. The Grand Slam tournaments have a higher status than the Olympics. This is bigger than a medal, an Olympic medal in tennis, he says about Ruud’s achievements in the ongoing tournament on gravel, for which medals will be fought for in 2024. Saltvedt completely agrees. He is concerned about the rules, but also about how the rules are enforced by the Olympic Summit. – It is difficult to understand why one doubts such an unrealistic interpretation of the regulations – whether it is to save money one should really spend with pleasure, or whether it is because one does not know better, he says. – Can be interpreted and misunderstood Marit Breivik, summer sports manager at Olympiatoppen, believes that it is unnecessary to get hung up on which letter is behind which athlete. – We who work closely on this, do not look at it that way, she says. Breivik nevertheless states that the criteria will be evaluated this year, and that she envisages that it can also lead to a change in concept. – I agree that this with A and B can be interpreted and misunderstood, she admits. LAVER EVALUATION: Marit Breivik. Photo: Terje Bendiksby / NTB The summer sports manager further states that only the scholarship amount is different for A- and B-athletes, and that Ruud therefore has access to the same professional support that he would have had in A-categorization. – So this really has little significance, since he earns more than the income limit to get financial support, Breivik sums up. It dismisses Saltvedt as a cheap argument. – Ruud obviously does not need the money right now, but this is about principles and not least a general understanding of the level in the various sports.
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