Therese Johaug is both shocked and concerned. Now, the 36-year-old is speaking out about the scandal, in which she has so far kept a low profile.

Therese Johaug has stayed under the radar regarding the World Championships scandal. But now the recently retired cross-country star is speaking out.

“I was just as shocked as everyone else. How is this possible?”

Also Read: World Championship scandal: “More excuses than explanations”

The 36-year-old says she has been following the developments of the financial scandal surrounding the Nordic World Ski Championships. Above all, Johaug reacts to the insane calculation error of more than 50 million Norwegian kroner.

“It’s a huge amount of money. I hope they can get to the bottom of what happened. It’s truly unfortunate, and I think the entire ski community agrees,” Johaug told Expressen.

Also Read: U23 and Junior World Championships crisis: Money gone, clock ticking

Worried about the future

Johaug is worried, especially about the international ripple effects. She fears the scandal could have enormous consequences for the sport and that it may become even harder to find future organizers.

You’d think that if there’s anywhere a Nordic World Ski Championships should be able to break even, it would be in Norway?

“Yes, exactly. How are other countries supposed to manage to host a championship now? How can Falun turn a profit in two years if Trondheim, with the festival atmosphere it had, ended up with this result? Does hosting a World Championship mean you’ll end up in the red no matter what? Will other countries even want to host a World Championship?

Also Read: Falun 2027 alarmed by Norwegian World Championship fiasco in Trondheim

The next Nordic World Ski Championships will be held in 2027, with Falun in Sweden as the host. The 2029 Championships will be in Lahti, Finland. That same year, Norway is set to host the Biathlon World Championships in Holmenkollen. The last time Norway hosted the Biathlon World Championships was in 2016, also in Holmenkollen.

Promised a million-krone surplus

Last winter, they reported a surplus of 22 million kroner. But internal documents show a deficit of at least 30 million kroner. And no one knows for sure.

The only certain thing is that the deficit is substantial and the consequences enormous. The owners of the Nordic World Ski Championships now risk bankruptcy. What is certain is that children, youth, and grassroots sports will be affected. The surplus from the World Championships was intended to benefit them specifically.

The financial scandal surrounding the Ski World Championships is now being investigated from multiple angles. The Financial Supervisory Authority of Norway has announced that it will also investigate to determine what happened.

Previously, the audit committee in Trondheim Municipality, which is part-owner of the organizing company “Ski-VM Trondheim 2025 AS,” announced that it wants a thorough investigation. The Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority, NAV, and the Tax Administration also have ongoing cases involving the World Championships.

When Norway last hosted the Ski World Championships in 2011 at Holmenkollen, the organizers ended up with a surplus of 68 million kroner.

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