The 29-year-old Swede, who initially finished seventh in the Birkebeinerrennet, was furious with Ole Jørgen Bruvoll over an incident in the final turn before the finish. After crossing the line, Novak physically confronted his rival from Team Engcon, leading to his disqualification for “unsportsmanlike conduct.”

As a result, he received zero points for Birkebeinerrennet, dropping from first to sixth place in the overall standings. Now, Novak is all but out of contention for the overall victory and the €26,600 in prize money.

Novak is now 261 points behind leader Amund Hoel in the fight for the Yellow bib, with Team Engcon currently holding all three podium positions in the overall standings with three races remaining this season.

“Really unfortunate”

Team Aker Dæhlie’s sports director, Joachim Aurland, believes the incident and the punishment were disproportionate.

“We see this as a ‘race incident,’ something that happened in the heat of competition, but Max lost his temper a bit. Of course, you shouldn’t push others, but sports are emotional, and they should be. He has apologized to everyone involved,” Aurland told Langrenn.com.

Do you think disqualification is a fair punishment for Novak’s actions?

“We believe it’s a harsh decision, but that’s how the rules are. We think it was strict, but we won’t pursue it further as things stand. There are new races coming up this weekend, and that’s what we’re focusing on now.”

This is the second time in a month that Novak has been disqualified from a Ski Classics race.

Also Read: Marcialonga Bodø – a brand-new Pro Tour event this weekend in Norway

One Disqualified, the Other Fined

If Novak had kept his seventh-place finish and the points from Birkebeinerrennet, he would still be leading Ski Classics. Bruvoll, on the other hand, received a fine but kept his placement and points from the race, now sitting in third place overall.

What do you think about Novak losing his chance to win Ski Classics and the €26,600 in prize money?

“It’s obviously really unfortunate. We can’t change it now, so we choose to look ahead. Prize money isn’t something we or Max are focusing on right now. The most important thing for Max is to show that he can ski fast, and we know he can. But of course, this is a tough situation for him financially as well,” Aurland said.

The team raised their concerns about the penalty with the jury, but they were informed that they could appeal the decision to the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS).

Appeal Submitted to FIS

Novak does not wish to comment further on the situation beyond what he already said after Birkebeinerrennet on Saturday.

However, he confirmed that he has appealed the disqualification to FIS and is awaiting their decision.

“I submitted my appeal to FIS today (Monday) and am waiting for their decision. Until then, I will leave this matter alone,” Novak said.

Ski Classics Pro Tour Season XVI (2024/2025)

• Event 0: Friday, December 13, 2024 –Ski Classics Pro Team Presentation XVI – Bad Gastein, Austria
• Event 1: Saturday, December 14, 2024 – Bad Gastein ITT – Sportgastein, Austria, 7km
• Event 2: Sunday, December 15, 2024 – Bad Gastein Criterium – Sportgastein, Austria, 36km
• Event 3: Saturday, January 11, 2025 – 3 Zinnen Ski Marathon – Sexten, Italy, 60km
• Event 4: Sunday, January 12, 2025 – La Venosta ITT Kapron-Melago – Val Venosta, Italy, 11km
• Event 5: Saturday, January 18, 2025 – Engadin La Diagonela – Pontresina-Zuoz, Switzerland, 43km
• Event 6: Sunday, January 26, 2025 – Marcialonga – Trentino, Italy, 70km
• Event 7: Sunday, February 9, 2025 – Jizerská50 – Bedřichov, Czech Republic, 50km
• Event 8: Saturday, February 15, 2025 – Grönklitt Criterium 61 – Orsa Grönklitt, Sweden, 61km
• Event 9: Sunday, February 16, 2025 – Grönklitt ITT – Orsa Grönklitt, Sweden, 13km
• Event 10: Sunday, March 2, 2025 – Vasaloppet – Sälen-Mora, Sweden, 90km
• Event 11: Saturday, March 15, 2025 – Birkebeinerrennet – Rena-Lillehammer, Norway, 54km
• Event 12: Saturday, March 22, 2025 – Marcialonga Bodø – Bodø, Norway, 50km
• Event 13: Saturday, March 29, 2025 – Reistadløpet – Setermoen-Bardufoss, Norway, 46km
• Event 14: Sunday, March 30, 2025 – Grand Finale Summit 2 Senja – Bardufoss-Finnsnes, Norway, 60km

More information about the Ski Classics Pro Tour can be found at skiclassics.com