– We don’t know if they fully understood what we meant, says Synne Børresen Bollingmo. – What is it like not to be understood? – It was scary to send them letters. And then we were perhaps a little disappointed by the answer, says Bollingmo. The NTG runner is not impressed by the development in the case. On Tuesday evening, the five teammates sent a letter of concern to the Ski Association, a letter discussed by VG. There they clearly said that the courses in the Norway Cup for juniors last year were too hard, and that this could lead to both body pressure and dropouts. FOREBUINGAR: Mille Marie Storlien, Hedda Magnussen, Synne Børresen Bollingmo and Mina Sofie Kjærås Moland, prepare for the new winter season. Photo: Ragna Kristine Sandholt / news On Thursday, the Ski Association came up with an answer in the case. It doesn’t row. – They did not come up with enough concrete measures for what to do going forward. We miss that, says Bollingmo. The Ski Association: – Strange In its response to the five girls, the Ski Association expresses disappointment that the junior skiers went to the media before they had a chance to respond to the letter. “We appreciated constructive feedback and good discussions, but would have liked to have been presented with relevant facts before the case was communicated through the media”. TOO LATE: Events manager at the Ski Association, Erik Husby, says that it is too late to take up the letter to the girls at this year’s autumn meeting, but that work is ongoing to create more varied trails. Photo: Ragna Kristine Sandholt / news – They have every right to do as they want, but we are happy to get things directly to us to clarify the matter and explain, says Husby, who is responsible for events at the Ski Association. – Why did they write what they wrote to the girls then? – We said yesterday that it was strange that it came via the media. But that’s the way it is. The Ski Association is in the spotlight during the day, says Husby. – Strange message to give. In the letter, the Ski Association also writes that it is too late to address the girls’ wish to address concerns about hard slopes at the Ski Association’s autumn meeting this weekend. But the case had to be sent to the cross-country committee before 1 October. And since the letter was sent three days before the autumn meeting, the agenda had already been seen and communicated, the Ski Association points out in the letter. – We think that is a strange message to give when we try to speak out, says Mina Sofie Kjærås Moland. – We hope it will be brought up at the autumn meeting, even if they wrote that it would not be. I still hope that they might realize that it is such an important topic that it should be brought up, says NTG runner Moland. CRITICAL: The ski girls wanted specific measures from the Ski Association. They didn’t get that. Photo: Ragna Kristine Sandholt / news – Shameful The girls receive support from Jorunn Sundgot Borgen, who is a professor at Norway’s Sports Academy. – It is bad that the young athletes have to be the driving force for changes that can help prevent eating disorders in their own sport to be implemented, writes Borgen on X/Twitter. To news, she elaborates: – We saw several times during last year’s season that athletes have to go to great lengths in order for something to happen around conditions that can prevent eating disorders. Many made an effort, but now the girls are standing there again. It is shameful, says Borgen. DEMAND ACTION: NIH professor Jorunn Sundgot Borgen thinks it is shameful that the athletes have to go to the media to be heard in demanding cases. Photo: Morten Holm / NTB – What do you expect to happen in this case? – That changes will be made this season. Of course, the girls must have challenging trail profiles, but not just trails that favor the lightest bodies. It creates challenges that mean the runners have to push the weight. Sundgot Borgen believes that many young athletes stop playing sports because of so-called weight problems. – Studies show that a third of junior and senior girls say that weight regulation is a key reason why they drop out. This applies to all types of sports, says Borgen. KOSTA ENERGI: Mille Marie Storlien, Hedda Magnussen, Synne Børresen Bollingmo and Mina Sofie Kjærås Moland told news that they were nervous about speaking out about a difficult topic. Photo: Ragna Kristine Sandholt / news Will not grant exceptions Event manager Husby says that the Ski Association is working on changes. – I know we are on the right track, but it is clear that it will take time to change all the slopes in Ski-Norway. The terrain does not change by moving any regulations. It is an ongoing process. He explains that the association now has greater leeway to create its own course profiles in races that are subject to FIS rules and that the girls will see changes to the course at Lygna south of Gjøvik in the winter. But there will be no theme at the Ski Association’s autumn meeting. – That’s how our political system is. Cases are registered via our ski rings. They should have started by going via a club that goes to the ring and get it in that way. Now the agenda is set, says Husby. Messages of support The Junior girls who sent the letter think it should still be possible to make an exception. WANT MORE VARIETY: The skiers are primarily asking for more variety of trail profiles in the Norwegian Cup race. Photo: Ragna Kristine Sandholt / news They say that they have seen many athletes struggle with the slopes. Even they have been through a development phase where it has been difficult to get the body to play on the team in the face of hard courses. And lately they have received a lot of support for taking up the topic. – I have received quite a lot of feedback from other girls in the same situation. Also from coaches and parents who support that we have spoken out. It probably shows that there is a problem, says Moland.
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Disappointed by the Ski Association’s response to cries for help – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
