The WC in Budapest has been a great sporting success for Norway. Jakob Ingebrigtsen (one gold, one silver), Karsten Warholm (one gold) and Narve Gilje Nordås (one bronze) have secured their all-time medal tally.

But this championship will also be remembered for a lot of non-sporting noise. Nordås’ jab at Jakob Ingebrigtsen, older brother Henrik’s tirade, and general unrest related to coach Gjert Ingebrigtsen’s lack of accreditation, have generated a lot of press and headlines.

Next year there will be the European Championships and the Olympics, and sports director at the Norwegian Athletics Federation Erlend Slokvik wants change.

– We don’t want this to happen again. There shouldn’t be too much focus on such things, he told NRK.

I don’t think the squad impressed

The Athletics Association traveled with a record-breaking squad to Budapest, a total of 26 athletes. Although the medal tally was good, Slokvik believes his sporting results could have been better.

– There are athletes here who have not achieved the achievements we want, he said.

However, he denied that the noise had an impact on other squad members and disrupted their performance.

– I don’t get the impression that it has any impact on other athletes either. They’re too caught up in their own bubble for me to doubt it, Slokvik said.

Nordås needs financial support

Gilje Nordås has had a comet season and came home from the WC with a bronze medal in the 1500 metres. A sensational performance that showed how far the 24 year old has come.

As is known, the coach, Gjert Ingebrigtsen, did not receive coaching accreditation at this championship. This caused Nordås not to stay at the athletes’ hotel, because he wanted closer access to the coaches.

For the upcoming championship, Nordås wants higher priorities and said the following about the changes he expects:

– Yes, it is clear that as a medalist you are on a fairly high list of athletes. You have Karsten and Jakob taking the top spots, but then I assume I’ll be back there again. Then I especially hope for more financial support. We ourselves have full control over the sporting aspect, so no need for any further help there.

Bosses want more peace of mind

Slokvik said that the association would set out several requirements for future preparation and implementation. This applies to everyone involved in the national team.

He currently does not want to mention what changes will be made.

– It’s too early to say. We have to sit down with the various parties and see how we can make the best plan, he said and continued.

– We have to set requirements according to what we want. I don’t want to go into more detail now, but we have to face the next championship with a different calm.