2007 April

Evi Sachenbacher, German National Team member and anchor of the Gold Medal winning relay team in 2002, is changing coaches ahead of next season. The national biathlon coach, Wolfgang Pichler, has been responsible for the German skier’s training the last couple seasons. But that relationship has now ended. Ismo Hämälainen of Finland will now take over the coaching responsibility according to reports from the German Ski Federation. Source: Skidsport.com

A champion in the making: Check out this YouTube video link to see a recap of Petter Northug’s 2006-2007 season. It’s a great five minutes mix of success, failures, crashes and victories! To see the video go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7-Gd-NJSuQ Recent FasterSkier.com articles about Petter Northug: World Cup pee-break? http://www.fasterskier.com/racing4184.html Sprint-Victory for Kuitunen and Northug in Lahti http://www.fasterskier.com/racing4143.html I will race the anchor leg for Norway until I’m 40- years old! http://www.fasterskier.com/racing4088.html Source: YouTube

The annual Spring Meeting of the OPA (Organisation des Fédérations de Ski des Pays Alpin) Nordic Commission took place in the famous Abano Terme (ITA) on 21st April. 21 representatives of the three Nordic disciplines from seven nations used the chance to review the past — and very challenging — season, and to discuss and brainstorm on ideas to develop the Nordic ski sports in the Alpine region in the future. “The OPA competitions are...

The 2009 Nordic Ski World Championships will be held in Liberec, Czech Republic. See Site visit at Vesec Cross-Country venue

BEIJING – It took more than a year to punish anyone in the doping scandal that shook the Turin Winter Olympics. When the verdicts came down Wednesday, the penalties were unprecedented. Six Austrian cross-country skiers and biathletes received lifetime bans from the Olympics for involvement in an organized blood-doping scheme — the harshest sanctions given to athletes by the International Olympic Committee. Read More: http://p216.news.mud.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070426/ap_on_sp_ol/oly_ioc_meetings

Central Cross Country Skiing with the support of the American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation is pleased to announce athlete openings for CXC Ski Team. The team size will be expanded for the 2007-2008 season. CXC Team is a full time year round Olympic Development Program. The preparation period will begin in May. Athletes must be out of college and committed full time to the program. Athletes will be selected among applicants on May 1st based on...

SportAccord, the annual international sports convention, brings representatives from the 100 International Sports Federations affiliated to GAISF (General Association of International Sports Federations), ASOIF (Association of Summer Olympic International Federations) and AIOWF (Association of the International Olympic Winter Sports Federations) together with sponsors, organizing committees, bidding and host cities, sports lawyers, broadcasters, rights holders and other specialists to discuss the key issues facing the sports industry and to network and exchange ideas. The 5th annual...

XC Ottawa is looking for talented, committed and determined athletes for our team. The application deadline is April 25th. The team will be selected by a committee including two outside representatives, one current team member, and the XC Ottawa Head Coach.To apply simply submit the application form found at the following link:http://www.xcottawa.ca/apply.php For some information on plans for the upcoming season please see: http://www.xcottawa.ca/articles.php?id=784) Finally, for a little about XC Ottawa and its history, see:...

Marit Bjorgen’s former coach, Svein Tore Samdal wants complete control of her training if he is to contribute to getting her back in shape. Bjorgen and Samdal Source: VG.no

More than 30 representatives of the organizing committees, hosting National Ski Associations and FIS participated in a debrief session on the inaugural Viessmann FIS Tour de Ski presented by Craft Sportswear held in Val di Fiemme (ITA) on Friday. The agenda included detailed discussion on feedback collected from the various stakeholders, including the jury, organizers, teams and media. Four working groups focused on the details and next steps for specific key areas of organization in...