Criticism is raining down on the Janteloppet organizers after the women’s elite race was canceled. The decision was made a week and a half before the race, even though registration was open until race day. However, it wasn’t until the evening before the event that the women found out their 40-kilometer race at Janteloppet was canceled.

The registered female athletes were offered a refund of the entry fee or the opportunity to participate in the 20-kilometer event, which is designed for recreational skiers.

According to Langrenn.com, the NOK 500,000 (EUR 43,000) prize purse was also retracted: the women would receive no prize money. Instead, the organizers offered NOK 60,000 (EUR 5,160) for the women’s 20-kilometer race — NOK 30,000 (EUR 2,580) for first place, NOK 20,000 (EUR 1,720) for second, and NOK 10,000 (EUR 860) for third.

The entire skiing community is reacting with shock and disgust. Astrid Øyre Slind from Team Aker Dæhlie is furious.

“It’s nowhere near what was promised. They blame it on participation. But as a woman, I can’t stand behind this,” Øyre Slind told TV2 on Saturday.
“We’re being pissed off.”

She burned her race bib in protest.

What’s your response to the criticism?

“What criticism?” asks Northug.

Race Management: “Not Sustainable”

Janteloppet’s general manager and former World Cup skier Pål Trøan Aune explained that the elite race was canceled due to low registration and insufficient competitive level among those who had signed up.

“There were only 14 women registered, and we had planned prize money for the top 20. So, the organization, the owner, and the jury decided it wasn’t sustainable for a 100% privately-owned company,” Trøan Aune told NRK.

“Among the 14 registered women, several weren’t elite athletes. So, we had to make a choice. We wanted nothing more than equal classes for men and women — we’ve promised that for 10 months. But the interest wasn’t there. In hindsight, we’ve heard many intended to register at the last minute. That’s unfortunate, but we couldn’t rely on that at the time.”

Coach Furious

Jostein Vinjerui, coach at Team Aker Dæhlie and responsible for Czech skier Katerina Janatova, is dismayed.

“It’s completely bizarre and tone-deaf. We’re used to equal prize money regardless. Other races don’t have different payouts based on participation. I thought we had come further than this — that this kind of discussion wouldn’t be necessary in 2025. The people behind the race are experienced, so it’s a shame they chose this stance,” he told Langrenn.com.

Vinjerui also rejects the claim that the level wasn’t high enough. Besides Øyre Slind and Janatova, several World Cup skiers were signed up — including Heidi Weng, Ebba Andersson, and Nadja Kälin.

“Impossible to Justify”

Cross-country skiing expert Petter Soleng Skinstad is outraged but not surprised.

“It’s outrageous that this is happening at all — and in 2025, no less. It’s just sad,” he told Langrenn.com, adding:
“Northug’s response is just childish.”

Skinstad slams the organizers’ arguments.

“There’s no way to explain your way out of this,” he says.

“It’s impossible to know participation numbers ten days before the race when registration is open until race day. And if there really were only 14 registered, that would actually be an advantage in terms of prize money — they wouldn’t have to pay the full pot for 20 skiers.”

A Race Meant to Set a New Standard

Janteloppet is Petter Northug’s signature event. He helped establish the race in 2018 with Red Bull as the main sponsor. When the controversial Austrian energy drink giant pulled out in 2023, Northug took 100% ownership of the event.

He then relaunched it with a new concept — more spectacular and more inclusive than any other ski race. In 2024, the event served as the Ski Classics Grand Finale. This year, however, Northug withdrew the race from the prestigious long-distance series.

Together with his wealthy investor Reda El Chaar, Northug relaunched Janteloppet once more, promoting it with a total prize purse of NOK 1,000,000 (EUR 86,000).

Ten Million in Prize Money

According to Northug and his sponsor El Chaar, cross-country skiing won’t become a truly international sport until athletes can make a living — and a good one — from it. That way, they can fully focus on becoming the best without taking side jobs or studying to support their careers.

That’s why the duo aims for a major boost in prize money compared to current levels.

Their long-term goal is to establish a new race series consisting of three to four events over the span of a month, spread across locations in Norway and Central Europe — with a total prize pool of NOK 10,000,000 (EUR 860,000).

Last fall, Northug invested in the German long-distance race König Ludwiglauf. El Chaar hopes they’ll host a “Grand Prize” race already in 2026.

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