– It is the stupidest proposal I have heard, says Johannes Thingnes Bø immediately after hearing the proposal from Idland. For the seasoned sports director in Blinkfestivalen wants a radical change to the season for the biathlon athletes. In front of news, Idland launches the proposal to incorporate one or two roller ski races in the World Cup. – The winters are getting shorter and I don’t think either cross-country skiing or biathlon can survive with a three-month season, which may be the case in the long run. Then I think you have to think new and non-traditional and also use the summer, says Idland. He already flirted with the idea during the Blink Festival in 2019 in an interview with Stavanger Aftenblad, but Idland believes the matter is strongly topical with the increasing climate focus and an increasingly warm world. UNTRADITIONAL: Arne Idland in Blinkfestivalen wants to roller ski in the World Cup. Photo: Even Bjøringsøy Johnsen / news He believes the proposal will not be too extensive, and the chutes can be arranged in August as part of the winter season. – Now I have worked with skiing and biathlon all my life, and it is unconventional to think those thoughts. But I see no problem with incorporating good roller skiing competitions as part of the World Cup, he says and points out: – Roller skiing can never replace winter’s product anyway, it must only be a supplement. – Stupidest proposal That Idland’s ideas are non-traditional becomes immediately apparent when news asks the Norwegian biathletes about their thoughts on the proposal. – We must never start with that. We must distinguish between the two things. When I look at jumps now, they jump in plastic trays. It is a winter sport. The Football World Cup can be in the summer, but now it’s in the winter, so we’ll probably end up with biathlon in the summer too, says Tarjei Bø. WINTER SPORTS: Tarjei Bø wants biathlon to remain on snow. Photo: Even Bjøringsøy Johnsen / news – If he is going to capitalize on global warming, he deserves some criticism, he follows up with a twinkle in his eye. Little brother Johannes is just as clear: – It is the stupidest proposal I have heard. Those are two very different things. It will be a bit like sprint and distance in cross-country skiing, there are different athletes who are good at two things, says Thingnes Bø, and comes up with another suggestion: – You could instead have a separate roller ski cup that could perhaps last a little longer into the autumn . Karoline Knotten also believes that there are better alternatives to cope with climate change and lack of snow. – I hope we can push the season into April and go on natural snow rather than roller skiing. I think it’s fun to roller ski in the summer, but I’d rather go on snow, says Knotten. – Would have been cool At the press meeting before Saturday’s start of the season at Sjusjøen, only Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen was undividedly positive about the proposal. – I don’t think it’s a bad proposal if we’re going to see it all together. Both because we have fewer white winters and because we have to compete with other sports. We have to stay relevant throughout the summer and we see how popular show races such as Blink have become, says Sjåstad Christiansen. POSITIVE: Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen would like to include roller skiing in the World Cup. Photo: Even Bjøringsøy Johnsen / news He believes that roller skiing is as similar to normal skis as you can get, and that you can therefore equate roller skiing in the World Cup. – I think it is a development we will see more and more of. Maybe we’ll start our real winter season with a couple of downtown show races somewhere in the future. That would have been cool. – Are you saying that because you are good at roller skiing? – Yes, I do – but I think it is also an inevitable development. Sports manager in the biathlon association, Per Arne Botnan, welcomes the proposal with open arms. – It can certainly be discussed in the future as a possible solution, but the most important thing is at least to think that we must not fall behind in development. And in order to maintain interest in biathlon, you must have many nations involved and have equality for as many athletes as possible. At least we can think about it, says Botnan. OPEN ARMS: Sports director of the Biathlon Union, Per Arne Botnan, believes the proposal must be discussed. Photo: Even Bjøringsøy Johnsen / news And it has already been done according to the sports manager. – It has been discussed. We have seen that the snow has been more and more difficult at this time of year, and that there is snow further out, he says and shares Knotten’s suggestion: – One possibility is to start the World Cup season later on snow and rather extend the season afterwards, because then Several destinations have the option of producing artificial snow. Watch the biathlon season start at Lake Sjusjøen on news 1 from 11.10 on Saturday.
ttn-69
– Stupidest I’ve heard – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
