– I might be a bit skeptical, answered the great Swedish star Elvira Öberg when asked if she believed in the Norwegian investment.

So they can be extra prepared for the strong winds expected at the Olympics in China this winter, Norway purchased an expensive wind machine before the summer. The news was also picked up in Sweden.

– That was a little surprising. Like that “Yes? Yes, yes, now just do it», said the youngest Öberg brother with a small laugh.

– It's a smart thing, but I don't know how often they use it and how well it works, says Sebastian Samuelsson.

– They can spend money on what they want, then we spend it on things that are important to us. We don't need wind machines here, says Hanna Öberg.

Coach enters “real” wind.

The wind blew quite strong and strong inside the stadium in Östersund during a press conference two days before the World Cup kicked off in the Swedish city.

– This feels like Carola's wind, said Stina Nilsson, brushing her hair from her face.

Because it's almost always windy here where the Swedes live and train every day.

– Of course it's good to train in the wind, but I think we have a bigger advantage because it's often windy in Östersund, says Martin Ponsiluoma.

This means that initially they also feel quite safe in challenging situations. The biathlon arena in the mountains north of Beijing is open and the wind will be strong.

– Wind will be a challenge and affect many races at the Olympics. “We trained in the arena that had the strongest wind, so I think we did a good job,” said Elvira Öberg.

Record season

Sweden had their best season last season. However, Norway is the most dominant.

– At least we will try to give them some resistance. I find it hard to believe that they can be dominant this year. I hope to get more podiums in Sweden, said Öberg's younger sister.

– Norway has a lot of good guys, some of us the same age, so I'm sure there will be a lot of tough Norwegians to beat. “But I've never been better than this fall,” Samuelsson said.

• Watch the World Cup opener from Östersund in the women's 1.15 kilometer NRK, Saturday from 11.30am.