Thus, WC reserve Juni Arnekleiv gets her baptism of fire in the WC already in the women’s sprint on Friday. – Now you caught me on the bed. I wasn’t aware of that, says a surprised Arnekleiv to news. On the way home from a run, news stopped her with the happy news. Then she knew nothing. SURPRISED: Juni Arnekleiv. Photo: Anders Boine Verstad / news – What do you think about going in the WC sprint tomorrow? – I haven’t had time to think about that, but it will be incredibly fun if it happens. That we don’t let anyone get sick and that I get to go. It’s absolutely great, Arnekleiv smiles from ear to ear. Organizer error The reason is that the International Biathlon Union (IBU), the Norwegian national team, the media and everyone else associated with the WC have misunderstood the rules about quotas and the number of WC places per nation. Previously, the rules were interpreted so that the only possibility of getting six athletes, and a full quota, at the start was if a nation had five athletes in the top 15 in the World Cup as well as the reigning champion in the distance from either the WC or the Olympics. HECTIC: Per Arne Botnan was busy. Photo: Hanne Skjellum / news But on Thursday morning there was a counter notification from the IBU. A nation can now field six runners at the start if it has the reigning champion from the WC or Olympics and at least one top 15 athlete in the World Cup. This is confirmed by news by the IBU. Last summer, the IBU introduced a new rule for top 15 athletes in the World Cup to ensure that the best athletes were at the start of the WC. – National federations with athletes in the top 15 in the World Cup overall have a right to participate in the WC, but each country’s quota for sprint and normal distance cannot exceed five athletes. This can be changed to six athletes for each federation due to the rule of free space for the reigning champion, writes the IBU in a press release. This means that Norway can field six athletes in both the women’s and men’s sprint/pursuit start and the men’s normal distance. The same applies to France and Sweden in the men’s sprint/pursuit start, as Emilien Jacquelin is the reigning champion in the pursuit start from the WC in 2021, and Martin Ponsiluoma is the reigning sprint world champion. Complete confusion and surprise For Norway, the message led to complete confusion during the men’s training at the WC stadium on Thursday morning. National team manager Per Arne Botnan was busy on the phone and called athletes who now have a sudden opportunity in the WC. The situation is most special on the men’s side, where WC reserve Filip Fjeld Andersen returned home on Wednesday after testing positive for corona. Therefore, overall leader in the IBU Cup Endre Strømsheim has now been called in from altitude training in Lavazé, Italy. IN THE CAR: Endre Strømsheim got straight into the car and drove to Oberhof when he got the message. Photo: Geir Olsen / NTB In a short comment to news, he writes: – I just have to throw myself in the car here, call later. Also in Oberhof, the stay was suddenly turned upside down for Arnekleiv, who was preparing to be a reserve for a hitherto disease-free women’s team. – The question is whether it will be a slightly different training day than I had imagined. Increase the intensity a bit and know a bit about the Birksteig if what you say is true, says Arnekleiv. Because before she received the confirmation from Botnan, she did not fully trust news’s good news, but is now looking forward to making her WC debut at senior level. Arnekleiv won the last sprint in the IBU Cup in Obertilliach and is seventh overall, but has not gone to the World Cup this season. – I haven’t skied against the elite runners this year, so it will be very exciting, but I think the level in the IBU Cup this year has been high. I think with a good race it can go well here too, concludes Norway’s sixth woman in Friday’s sprint. You can see it on TV 2 and listen to it on the radio channel news Sport on Friday 14.30.
ttn-69
Thought she was a wreck at the World Cup – here she gets the counter-notice after the organizer’s mistake – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
