SOGNEFJELLET (VG) Martin Johnsrud Sundby believes the association’s focus on sport development stalled in the last years before he stepped down.

– In my eyes, the focus of the national team should always be on sporting development. But I no longer experience it, claims Sundby and continues:

– There are several processes in the national team that will develop athletes in a sporting manner. From 2017, I saw a change in the national team and what it became. That management is becoming more concerned with more stringent commercial guidelines and rules than the training and development arena for sporting outcomes.

Break up with the national team

Sundby just answered a VG question about his thoughts on last month’s developments at the pinnacle of international cross-country skiing.

Three of Sweden’s biggest profiles (Frida Karlsson, Maja Dahlqvist and Linn Svahn) have broken up with the national team. This means that they refuse team meetings, follow-up associations for coaching and medical teams as well as assignments for association sponsors.

At the same time, they are free to create a personal sponsor profile, they can go to meetings whenever they want and manage their own training routine completely with their personal trainer. The latter is cited as the most important reason for the national team break.

– Scary

The trend is the same in Norway, although the Norwegian Ski Association is concerned that they should be the place to be for the best sporting offerings and development.

Sundby naturally heard that Didrik Tønseth was joining the national team again after a season off, but he brought with him a privately funded team put together with the Ski Association’s resources.

Emil Iversen, Johannes Høsflot Klæbo and Helene Marie Fossesholm also have personal trainers in daily life.

Therese Johaug used her own brothers Karstein and Pål Gunnar Mikkelsplass for the most part before she stepped down. Sundby hooked up with himself and paid his brother Sondre to be the coach. Sundby said he had to go to that step.

– The Swedes say well implied that the national team system is not good enough for the development they want. Tønseth made the theme in Norway this year, and it was scary, says Sundby.

– He may have noticed the importance of sport development in the year he was outside the national team. That’s what matters and nothing else. This illustrates the importance of it because he even paid for it himself.

– We have tried to tighten

National team sprinter Emil Iversen believes Sundby raises important debates, and says they discuss these things within the team as well.

– It is important that exercise is the focus. “We can’t fall asleep in an hour and must always make sure we have the best sports deals,” Iversen said.

But he points out that the national team has an ace up its sleeve, namely the buttery trailer that is considered to provide the world’s best skis. But he admits the following:

– Maybe we were a little sluggish last year, but we have tried to tighten up this year. We have to work hard even though we are the best national team in the world. It could quickly become a small resting pillow and maybe it was last year. We need to hone.

– Provider

Sundby is a former national team veteran after several years at the Norwegian Ski Association. He believes the sports offer has not changed significantly since he joined the national team in around 2007 and 2008. Even though the budget at that time was much lower than now.

– That’s a better salary in 2020 than it was 14-15 years ago. That’s important. But sports offers are not.

Sundby emphasizes that some things are good and efficient. As a solid lubrication team, good collection and logistics that work well.

But he wonders whether the association functions more as a salary-paying employer and facilitating arena – and not an arena for the further development of sports skills towards athlete goals.

– I know that the main attitude of the association is that the coaching role in the national team system is more about being a facilitator. Maybe that’s what the national team should be, but you can be more ambitious than that.

– And the question is whether a lack of focus on sporting development is the reason why things aren’t going the way they want on the women’s team and one of the reasons for their decline, said Sundby.

– Experiencing a change in mentality

Cross-country manager Espen Bjervig has been presented with Sundby’s thoughts and opinions. He started by saying that he thinks it’s okay if athletes have outsiders to relate to, in this case other coaches than the national team.

– As long as there is an open dialogue between the two sides. We have to make sure that we do our best for the athletes along the way. Then we are now experiencing a change in the mentality of practitioners. They have a greater need for closeness to the coach.

– It’s a bit out of date

Cross-country managers are quick to point out that they are working to facilitate co-training in all the major cities where they have athletes. When asked if they were more than just facilitators, he replied as follows:

– I feel the competence that the coaching, lubrication and wellness teams and Olympiatoppen have really ensures that we “push” the athletes. But of course, it’s not just about sports. We also have other parameters that come into play, says Bjervig.

He pointed out that the Norwegian Ski Association “does not receive state money”, but finances its scheme almost exclusively with commercial revenues in the form of sponsorship agreements. This requires something from the associations and practitioners back to those who paid for the party.

In other countries, the model is completely different. In Italy, some practitioners were employed by the police and raised their salaries from there. Federal activity is dependent on transfers from the country’s Olympic Committee.

– But it’s a little in time, I think athletes need a closer follow-up than the coaches of the national team managed to get.