Petter Northug revealed during the Norwegian Championships in Hovden that he is making a serious effort toward next season and is reportedly in talks with Mexico about the 2026 Olympics.

Mexico’s embassy confirms that they are in ongoing discussions with Petter Northug regarding his participation in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan/Cortina.

“He has a positive relationship with Mexico, and we are currently discussing several things,” Mexico’s ambassador, Omar Fayad, told NRK.

“Who wouldn’t want to see Mr. Northug return to the World Championships or even compete in the Olympics? We will do everything possible to ensure that his experience can help the Mexican athletes who have secured a place at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy,” Fayad stated.

Maybe, Maybe Not?

Petter Northug responds in his usual cryptic manner:

“I’ll get back when we have more information,” he wrote in a text message.

When asked specifically about discussions with Mexico, the 39-year-old responded:

“Nothing to worry about.”

In Talks with Multiple Nations

According to Langrenn.com, Northug has previously been in discussions with Austria and Liechtenstein about his potential participation for them in the 2026 Olympics. At that time, he suggested that he expected to have an answer by the end of March. So far, he has not provided any further information.

The regulations theoretically allow Northug to compete in the Olympics for another nation.

“The rules include specific provisions for athletes who have already competed for another country in the Olympics. As a general rule, they must wait three years from the last time they represented their ‘old’ country before competing for a ‘new’ one,” explains lawyer Mathias Lilleengen.

Lilleengen is an arbitrator at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

The last time Petter Northug competed in the Olympics for Norway was in 2018. However, he would have to change his citizenship, which takes time. And as of now, there are less than 10 months until the 2026 Olympics begin.

“It Has Never Happened Before”

However, Northug may be blocked by formalities, whether it concerns Austria, Liechtenstein, or Mexico. Even though the skier might still manage to obtain a new passport and citizenship before the 2026 Olympics, he would not meet the requirements of the International Ski Federation (FIS).

FIS requires that athletes must have lived for at least two years in the country they intend to represent. This will be a problem for the 39-year-old, who wants to compete in the Olympics in just one year.

However, there are exceptions. The FIS regulations allow for discretion in handling such applications when there are special circumstances.

“This could apply to very, very special cases, such as a refugee or a political asylum seeker—something that truly is an extraordinary situation. But so far, we have never approved of a nationality change without completing the full application process,” said FIS Secretary General Michael Vion to VG.

Vion personally doubts that Northug will succeed through this exception. In this context, simply wanting to compete is not enough.

“No, that’s not enough, that’s for sure. If he doesn’t meet the criteria, which I believe is the case, it will be difficult for him. What reason could he give? That he just wants to? That’s not enough, in my opinion,” Vion concluded.

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