In Hedemarken, ski enthusiasts are struggling to understand how the Nordic Ski World Championships in Trondheim ended with a 34 million kroner (approx. €2.9 million) deficit. Their own Norwegian Championships (NM) in Vang, on the other hand, generated a surplus of 1 million kroner (approximately €84,000) — much-needed funds for local sports in the area.

A World Championship and a National Championship are, of course, not directly comparable, but the bottom line always matters. And in Trondheim, the bottom line is worrying: the event is at risk of bankruptcy. Organizers have offered creditors a 60% repayment of amounts exceeding NOK 40,000 (approximately € 3,400) – all creditors will receive at least this amount.

This depends on all creditors accepting the offer — something that did not happen during the Cycling World Championships in Bergen in 2017, which went bankrupt and left creditors with very little.

Speaking to Hamar Arbeiderblad, the highly experienced NM chief Gudbrand Skraastad says they’re satisfied with this year’s national championships, even if they had hoped for more.

“We ended up with a surplus of just over one million kroner (approximately €84,000) from the NM last winter. That’s a bit less than we had hoped for, but we’re still very pleased,” said Skraastad (76) to HA-sporten.

He elaborates:

“Sponsorship revenue was 300,000 kroner lower (approximately €25,000) than at the last Vang NM in 2018. And everything has become more expensive. Additionally, there was a decline in ticket revenue — we had approximately 400,000 kroner (approximately €34,000) in 2018. This time, it was almost zero.”

Despite that, they still managed to present a surplus of more than a million.

Focus on Youth Recruitment

Skraastad continues:

“We spent a bit extra to make the event top-notch, and we have no regrets about that. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive. We’re incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished. We’ve managed to deliver surplus after surplus at our events.”

Gudbrand Skraastad could be considered a Norwegian champion in organizing ski events. This was, at least for now, his final one. But he’s thrilled the funds will benefit the younger generation.

“There’s new leadership now, but I’ve proposed that some of the money go toward recruitment. That’s incredibly important. My suggestion is that all kids under 13 in Vang Skiløperforening should train for free. I’ll keep fighting for that. I’ve said this before as well.”

40 Years on the Board, 19 as Chairman

Vang Skiløperforening is lucky to have such a driving force as Gudbrand Skraastad. He’s served on the club’s board for 40 years — 19 of them as chairman. He’s organized ten National Championships — eight of them as NM General.

So, he knows what he’s talking about — and he’s far removed from the scandal currently surrounding the Ski World Championships in Trondheim.

The steadfast 76-year-old also made headlines earlier this year when he criticized Johannes Høsflot Klæbo for not participating in the NM. Skraastad emphasized the importance of young athletes having role models.

Currency conversions based on an approximate exchange rate of €1 = NOK 11.94 at the time of writing.

Also Read: Creditors offered 60 percent – World Championships with a NOK 37 million deficit

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