Experts want to remove the World Championship relay

Traditional skiing

Experts want to remove the World Championship relay

by Kjell-Erik Kristiansen/Translated by Katerina Paul • 18.03.2025

Member Article

Photo: Modica/NordicFocus.

When Norwegian broadcaster, NRK summed up the World Championships and asked its experts which event they would remove from the program, the answer was surprising: “Remove the relay,” said most of them.

The relay event, which has long been one of the biggest highlights of the World Championships, is now under scrutiny.

The discussion may seem odd, given the 100,000 spectators at Granåsen. However, the reality is that interest in Nordic Ski World Championships is becoming increasingly narrow in terms of which countries follow the sport.

Russia is currently absent—the country that normally has the largest cross-country skiing audience. In Trondheim, Norway or Sweden won all 12 of 12 gold medals in cross-country skiing. Together, the two nations claimed 28 out of the 36 total medals.

NRK sports commentator Jan Petter Saltvedt believes it is high time to remove an event from the World Championship program—and he also points to the relay. A colleague even told him, “It’s the most boring event in the world.”

“Remove the Relay,” says Martin Johnsrud Sundby

The men’s relay is an event where everyone knew how it would end.

“Personally, I would remove the team sprint, but I know that’s not realistic. So, it has to be the relays,” said Fredrik Aukland.

His colleague, Torgeir Bjørn, partially agrees:

“We must keep the team sprints. They are the most-watched internationally. And we cannot remove interval starts—that’s part of Norwegian culture. So, it has to be the relays. Too few nations have four strong athletes.”

“It’s been many, many, many, many years since the relays were exciting,” added Martin Johnsrud Sundby.

Norwegian Dominance Diminishes Interest

As expected, the women’s relay was a battle between Sweden and Norway. That showdown was exciting, but the men’s race went exactly as predicted.

Since 2009, Norway or Sweden has won every relay in both genders, with only one exception—the 2022 Beijing Olympics, where the Russian team won under a neutral flag.

So, despite a rare festival atmosphere at Granåsen during most of the races, it’s unlikely we will see anything similar at future championships in Germany, France, Italy, or Austria.

The relays underwent distance changes recently, with both genders now racing 4×7.5 km instead of the previous 4×5 km for women and 4×10 km for men. However, this has not affected Nordic dominance.

Norway has won 13 consecutive men’s relay golds at the World Championships. On the women’s side, after the Sweden vs. Norway battle, the gap was massive—Switzerland, in fifth place, finished 3 minutes and 19 seconds behind.

Many theories have emerged on how to make the relays more exciting, but the format has remained largely unchanged for decades.

Biathlon’s Success

Meanwhile, cross-country skiing is hesitant to adopt changes inspired by biathlon—a comparison that some consider almost sacrilegious.

However, the International Biathlon Union (IBU) has found great success with its single mixed relay, where teams consist of just one man and one woman. This format creates fast-paced duels, frequent lead changes, and, most importantly, a larger number of competing nations. One key reason for biathlon’s appeal is its built-in drama, which cross-country skiing struggles to match without a shooting component.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) wants more events featuring mixed-gender teams. This was evident at the Beijing 2022 Olympics, where six new events with mixed teams were added.

Biathlon introduced the mixed relay at the World Championships in 2005 and at the Olympics in 2014. The single mixed relay has been part of the World Championships since 2019.

Meanwhile, FIS and cross-country skiing remain reluctant to follow suit. While a team sprint event exists, the future could see traditional relays replaced by mixed-gender relays.

Regardless of any changes, the risk remains that Norway and Sweden will continue to dominate.

The next stop for the World Cup season 2024/2025 is Tallinn, scheduled for March 19, 2025. The stage of the World Cup will feature one day of competitions in Estonia.

The event starts on Wednesday, March 19, with a sprint in freestyle technique.

See the complete program for the Tallinn World Cup below.