Marit Bjørgen, a true legend of cross-country skiing, has issued a strong warning about the growing pressure on young athletes in the sport.

The Norwegian cross-country skiing star raised an important topic, underlining that training must remain a source of joy if Ski Associations want to prevent an alarming rise in early dropouts.

When ambition becomes overload

The issue came into focus in Norway after three of the country’s most significant young prospects — Jørgen Nordhagen, Malin Hoelsveen, and Hanna Engesæter Sørbye, each Junior World Champions, all left cross-country skiing within a single year.

Also Read – Ski star raises alarm: Sees worrying trend among young athletes

Bjørgen, now a coach with the Norwegian women’s national team, believes the sport has become “too serious, far too soon.”

“If you train as a 14–15-year-old as many hours as an adult elite skier, you can quickly lose both joy and motivation,” she told Expressen, adding:

“It becomes too serious long before you’ve reached your true potential.”

With her phenomenal sports achievements, Bjørgen is one of Norway’s most respected voices, and her warning carries weight across the skiing world.

Read More: Another Norwegian World Champion chooses to quit cross-country skiing

A culture of over-performance

Her concerns are shared by Pål Gunnar Mikkelsplass, another cross-country skiing expert and coach of Norway’s national team.

“The environment for young talents has become very tough,” he told Expressen, adding:

“In some districts, there is strong pressure from coaches, the environment, and parents. You should train a lot and win the Junior World Championships — and once you win that gold, you’re done as a cross-country skier.”

Mikkelsplass worries that a competitive dynamic between ski high schools in Norway is partly to blame, pushing athletes into excessive training volumes too early.

Both Bjørgen and Mikkelsplass emphasize that while each case is different, the broader pattern is clear: the early focus on performance is burning out young talents and causing premature exits from the sport.

“We have juniors who already train 900 to 1,000 hours per year. That’s close to what elite skiers do — it’s too much, too young.”

Also Read: Recovery is a crucial part of training

The global challenge of youth retention

While Norway’s depth of talent draws attention, the problem extends far beyond Scandinavia. Across many countries, sports clubs, schools, and associations face the same question: how to strike a balance between excellence and enjoyment.

International data consistently show that dropout rates rise sharply in adolescence when training demands and competition pressures increase (Australia study, Brazil study, Netherlands study).

Cross-country skiing, with its long training hours and endurance demands, is particularly vulnerable if the system overlooks the importance of nurturing fun and variety.

Rethinking development pathways

Among the strategies discussed by coaches and sport scientists are:

• building training volume progressively, with more recovery phases during adolescence
• encouraging multi-sport participation before full specialization (multi-sport study)
• giving athletes more ownership of their training and goals
• monitoring motivation, enjoyment, and well-being — not only performance data (systematic review)
• offering meaningful experiences at all levels, not just for top juniors

Protecting the joy of skiing

For a sport that prides itself on endurance, resilience, and the beauty of outdoor movement, Bjørgen’s warning is particularly relevant.

The future of cross-country skiing depends not only on producing champions but also on ensuring that young athletes grow into lifelong participants — whether as professionals or passionate enthusiasts.

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