– It was embarrassing, said Johannes Dale-Skjevdal after the season opener at Sjusjøen. It is commendable that the athletes speak so honestly about the sliding differences between the Norwegian athletes and the other nations. FLAU: Johannes Dale-Skjevdal thinks the slip differences were too great between Norway and the other top nations in the season opener. Photo: NTB They know better than anyone what consequences it can have for sport. But to understand how the fluoride ban affects performance, we need to know which factors affect the glide in a ski race. The properties of the ski, the properties of the sole, lubrication and not least grinding. Although the other biathlon nations also have sharpening machines, the cooperation between specialist communities, industry, the special sports and the Olympic summit has made Norway by far the best at sharpening skis. This advantage is reinforced by the fact that the other nations cannot smear with fluoride to compensate. Because without fluorine under the skis, lubrication has less to do with gliding, and the other factors that affect gliding become more important. BEST: Lubrication manager for the biathlon national team Tobias Dahl Fenre in front of the lubrication bus. Photo: Lise Åserud / NTB Some of the big nations such as Germany, Sweden and France will certainly be involved in individual races, as we saw France do at the season opener in cross-country skiing at Beitostølen. But over an entire season, the fluoride ban will probably make Norway even more superior before the start. Should learn from Formula 1 There are no other nations that have greasers who can walk as many miles a day as the Norwegians to find the winning formula. With fluoride, other nations could compensate for bad skis with a good hit on the lubrication. In addition, the best athletes get to choose skis from the manufacturers first. There are those who believe that fair skiing includes measures such as the international association handing out the same skis with the same slip and the same lubrication to everyone. But since the athletes choose skis with characteristics that suit them, such a solution will only create more injustice because the athlete risks getting skis that do not suit them. A better solution is to limit the number of skippers to each athlete or nation. LIMIT THE NUMBER OF SKIS?: Here the Norwegian skiers test different skis. Photo: NTB The results at Lake Sjusjøen indicate that the Norwegian team is best prepared for a fluoride-free sport. Ever since it was announced that fluoride could be banned, lubrication manager Tobias Fenre and the team have prepared thoroughly. And it’s allowed to be the best at preparation, isn’t it? The other nations have also received a warning about the fluoride ban, as TV 2’s cross-country expert Petter Soleng Skinstad has pointed out. But to simply say that: “That’s how the game is. Play the game”, will not remove the problem in the long run. Namely that Norway will be superior by far. Therefore, the International Biathlon Union must come up with equalizing measures. In the same way that the driver in Formula 1 depends on the whole team working well together, the biathlete depends on a strong team with good systems. But just as the International Motor Sports Federation (FIA) understood that they had to make clear rules for the car’s characteristics and the various teams’ resource use, the IBU should at a much faster pace address the big differences between the nations when it comes to everything that deals with sliding on the skis. SHOULD FOLLOW THE FORMULA FOR FORMULA 1: Biathlon expert Harri Luchsinger believes the IBU has something to learn from Formula 1. Photo: Reuters Biathlon in the summer We need a federation that has a greater knowledge of skiing and gliding – and shares it with all nations. If the differences only get bigger, the consequence is that the sport as a whole suffers. SLITER: Italian Didier Bionaz was the best non-Norwegian shooter at Sunday’s hunting start for the men. He was number 13. Photo: AP There is also one drastic solution that can solve the problem: biathlon will eventually become a summer sport. With warmer winters, it feels like fighting against nature to continue with artificial snow in arenas in Europe, where the snow is dug away again on the Monday after the competition weekend. Think of the possibilities in switching to roller skis where the organizer is responsible for distributing the same roller skis to everyone. There will be many more nations that have the opportunity to practice the sport and you can have resilient competitions in the center of new cities. SUMMER SPORT?: Karoline Knotten during the Holmenkollen ski show this summer. Photo: NTB The intention to ban fluoride is undoubtedly good, but have you thought through the consequences for sport? The opening of the season suggests that Norway is by far the best prepared. The Norwegian athletes have realized that the difference is “embarrassingly” large. If biathlon is to maintain good recruitment, public and media interest for 20–50 years, they will have to think long-term. Moving to a competition period in the summer and a training season in the winter would make everything much easier. As of today, it appears more sustainable, too. The fact that Norway rolls into the World Cup arenas in an even bigger lubrication trailer with even more pairs of skis (around 100 per athlete) certainly does not improve the work ethic of the other nations, either.
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Is this the beginning of the end for skiing as a winter sport? – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
