For the first time in eight years, Marcus Grate is not part of any Swedish national team group. Nevertheless, he welcomes the new national team leadership.

Marcus Grate had a challenging season and failed to qualify for the Olympics. When the Swedish national team was announced in May, he was absent from the national team groups, marking the first time in eight years that he was left out.

The Olympics were essentially a disaster for the Swedish men’s team, and during the spring, national team manager Anders Byström stepped down. He was succeeded by former Olympic medalist Niklas Jonsson.

Also Read: Olympic medalist takes over as national team manager

Skiers have been critical

Men’s coach Anders Högberg also left, replaced by Norwegian gold coach Egil Kristiansen.

“In a way, it’s good that the men’s team had such a failure at the Olympics; something had to change,” Grate told SVT Sport.

Grate believes that several of the skiers have been critical and have been waiting for change.

“We have wanted something new for quite a few years. Eventually, the voices became too strong, and they realized that this wasn’t sustainable any longer.”

Focusing on his own path

Despite welcoming the new leadership, he is not part of the team for the upcoming season. With the World Championships in Falun as a highlight, he is working to earn his place back in the national team.

“Of course, I would have liked to be part of that change. It was up to me to prove that I should be in the national team, and I didn’t succeed in that. I am working to return to the national team.”

Read More: Swedish cross-country skiing teams for season 2026/2027

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