The national team model should be discontinued. This fall’s conflict between Johannes Høsflot Klæbo and the Norwegian Ski Association has only reinforced the need for change.

This is the opinion of Anders Aukland, one of several who advocate drastic changes to the national team model and the current organization for cross-country skiing.

“The reason for all the conflicts is that cross-country skiing has not evolved. The World is different now than it was in the 80s. The national team model is good but old-fashioned. It needs to be developed, which should have been done long ago,” Aukland tells Adresseavisen. 

The veteran was involved in establishing and developing the Ski Classics long-distance skiing series, which is built on a model based on professional cycling teams. The series and the concept have significantly developed in recent years, while traditional cross-country skiing is struggling with dropouts and declining revenues. 

Aukland believes that private teams with athletes from different nations, both men and women, and skiers of different ages are the future of cross-country skiing and that a change must occur if cross-country skiing is to survive. 

He also believes that introducing private teams in traditional cross-country skiing will allow more athletes to compete. 

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Northug shares the fear 

Cross-country skiing legend Petter Northug is also very concerned about the World Cup. He is clear that the International Ski and Snowboard Federation must change the World Cup if the concept is to survive in the long term. 

“Right now, I think no matter what you do, it goes back to the fact that we need to create interest in Central Europe. We need to get some other nations on board. We need to look at the results list. The way it is now on the men’s side with only Norwegians, it simply kills the interest over time,” Northug says.  

However, the Pro Team athlete has great faith in long-distance skiing and the Ski Classics series’ concept. 

Northug also notes that he believes long-distance skiing can revitalize the World Cup on several levels. In this context, he cites Astrid Øyre Slind, the 35-year-old who had her big international breakthrough in the World Cup and World Championships last winter after several years of long-distance skiing. 

Also Read: “Astrid has paved the way for everything to be possible.”

“Astrid is a great example. What she did last winter shows that you can realize big dreams by combining long-distance skiing and traditional skiing,” says Northug, and adds: 

“Astrid got her breakthrough by doing long-distance training. This shows that long-distance training can help raise the level of traditional cross-country skiing and that combining the two types of training can make you an even better cross-country skier.”