Norway can bring a maximum of 18 athletes to the cross-country competitions at the 2011 World Championships. Sweden can enter up to 24.
The reason for the different number of berths is as follows: A nation can bring no more than 32 athletes to a championship, but they have to be spread out over the various disciplines: jumping, cross-country and Nordic combined. Norway has qualified athletes in all disciplines. Sweden, for instance, does not have any Nordic combined or jumpers. Accordingly, Sweden can fill up the team with more cross-country skiers and bring more specialists, such as sprint racers and long-distance skiers. According to Norwegian newspaper VG, Norway will be forced to use a sprint racer for the 50K.
“I think it’s unfair that a nation like Sweden should be essentially rewarded because they are less well-rounded and can’t field a team to Nordic combined or jumping. And if they get to bring more cross-country skiers because of that, I think it’s just wrong,” said Jann Post, a cross-country commentator with the Norwegian television station NRK.
The Norwegian Ski Association has spread out their qualified athletes over all the disciplines, leaving the Norwegians with 18 cross-country skiers, nine jumpers (four of them female) and five nordic combined racers.