FIS introduces a new regulation to limit Norway’s dominance in the World Cup and warns of even stricter measures next year.

The International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) has decided on new rules regarding the number of participants each nation can bring to each World Cup weekend.

Starting the upcoming winter, nations can only select double the number of athletes as their quota allows. Norway, which has a quota of six athletes per competition, can therefore only register 12 athletes for each World Cup weekend.

In addition to this quota, there will be personal exemptions for the World Cup leader (Johannes Høsflot Klæbo) and the leaders of the Scandinavian Cup.

This decision was made by the FIS Cross-Country Committee during their spring meeting last week. Norway is strongly opposed to this change.

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Designed to curb Norway

The new rule impacts Norway and makes it even tougher for athletes who excel in one or two disciplines. This has prompted a reaction from Norwegian national team coordinator Ulf Morten Aune, who feels that Norway’s concerns are not being heard.

“The reason we oppose this is that we believe it is unfair to limit the best athletes,” Aune told TV 2.

He explains that the rationale behind the rule change is FIS’s desire to limit Norway’s dominance, particularly in men’s events.

“They are worried about the future of cross-country skiing. We disagree on the approach, but we are speaking to deaf ears,” Aune added.

Affects the athletes

With the new regulations, Norway can only send 14 men and 13 women to the World Cup opener in Ruka this November.

Aune is clear about the consequences this will have for Norwegian athletes.

“In the long run, this means that the more versatile you are, the easier it will be to compete in the World Cup. It will be harder to be selected for a team if you are a specialist,” he stated.

Warning of further tightening

It could get even tougher next year. FIS has now established a working group to develop new quota regulations.

This could mean that each nation will have fewer athletes starting in each competition. This will be discussed again at the autumn meeting and will not take effect until the 2027/2028 season.

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