Click here to read part 1 and part 2 of this series, which takes a look at international news surrounding the Russian athlete ban through the spring. For how these bans have impacted a broader cross-section of the sporting world and analysis of the complex questions surrounding whether Russian athletes should be able to compete, check out this recent Sports Illustrated article by Michael Rosenberg. Historically, athlete bans meant to pressure a government have not...
Click here to read part 1 of this series, which takes a look at international news surrounding the Russian athlete ban through the spring. For how these bans have impacted a broader cross-section of the sporting world and analysis of the complex questions surrounding whether Russian athletes should be able to compete, check out this recent Sports Illustrated article by Michael Rosenberg. Concerns over both fair play and propaganda have been tied to the...
With Russian athletes banned from all FIS competitions, and no end in sight for the war in Ukraine, there is a growing belief that Russian skiers are unlikely to rejoin the World Cup next season. Some commentators have gone further, proclaiming that we have seen the last of Bolshunov, Neprayeva, and the rest of the Russian team on the international stage. The pessimism is rooted in the history of similar bans—which tend to be long...
This press release originally appeared on fis-ski.com on Wednesday, March 18, 2022. May marks the month of the FIS Committee meetings, debriefing the season and setting up task and changes for the upcoming ones. All proposals that were elaborated by Sub-Committees and working groups members came on the table of the Cross-Country Committee (CCC) on Wednesday, 18th May. The Committee discussed them and forwarded the confirmed proposals on to the highest authority in FIS, the...
ZHANGJIAKOU, CHINA — A month ago, I met with a source close to the Chinese government in a tiny room in this mountain resort outside Beijing, which hosted the 2022 Olympic cross-country skiing events. There, the source explained how a decision by international skiing officials to disqualify a Chinese cross-country skier from a race was like killing a baby. China does not have, exactly, a long tradition of success in winter sports like cross-country skiing. But...
On February 26th, the Norwegian Ski Association (NSA) released a statement indicating that in light of the nation’s recent invasion of the Ukraine, Russian participation was not welcome at the upcoming World Cup sprint races in Dramman or the storied Holmenkollen distance races outside of Oslo. In addition to these cross country events, Norway is scheduled to host competitions in alpine, nordic combined, and ski jumping, including the World Ski Flying Championships in Vikersund. A...
Vegard Ulvang at fifty six years old remains an icon in Norway. With Olympic and Championship medals, a World Cup Overall title in 1990, he’s in the lineage of Norwegian skiing royalty. Away from the tracks, Ulvang began and then sold a profitable clothing company. He fills his time making documentaries and television features. He is also, as you’ll hear at the top of the interview, committed to living a life of exploration, calculated risk,...
Do gender equality in sport and race distances go hand in hand? We asked a multitude of skiers and coaches who raced (or are currently involved in racing) at the collegiate level, as well as FIS Cross-Country Committee Chair Vegard Ulvang: should men's and women's distances be the same, and if so, how do you go about doing that at every level?
Top skiers' message to world leaders: we want to keep having winter, so make a legally-binding climate agreement. And the message to ski fans? Andy Newell says: "We need to get on the backs of the guys and women in the U.S. who make these decisions, and put some pressure on them.”
To help with high-altitude training, the Finnish national team is skiing with 2-liter oxygen canisters on their backs which they breathe through face masks. Although not banned by WADA, Vegard Ulvang and others have expressed doubt and discomfort with the setup.
This FasterSkier series will examine the growing challenge to the national team model by privately funded ski teams and independent sponsorship agreements. Will national teams be able to support themselves in the future, or will corporate teams take over cross country skiing? This first article in the series will look at Petter Northug’s record deal with Coop and the implications it has for the Norwegian National Team and the sport as a whole.
How much skate skiing should be allowed in a classic sprint race? Quite a bit, if Wednesday’s race in Drammen, Norway was any indication. "I think classic skiing took a step backwards," said USST Coach Matt Whitcomb. "I don’t think the line between what’s legitimate for classic technique was respected yesterday, and I think it opens a can of worms that makes the line very fuzzy now.”
There are many stakeholders involved in creating the World Cup each year — athletes, race organizers, national governing bodies and, ever increasingly, television. U.S. Ski Team head coach Chris Grover shares his thoughts on media influence on cross-country’s evolution and provides some insight into the reasoning behind decisions made at last month’s FIS Calendar Conference.
The 2012 edition of the spring International Ski Federation (FIS) Congress draws to a close on Thursday in Kangwonland, South Korea. While the selection of the 2017 World Championships host has yet to be announced, several decisions have been finalized pertaining to World Cup races for next season. The Norwegian National Team’s
All American Birkebeiner coverage is brought to you through the generous support of SkiErg. Dr. Ian Duncan’s first phone call to Vegard Ulvang two years ago met a little dead air. It wasn’t that Ulvang, the executive director of the International Ski Federation’s cross-country committee, didn’t want to talk. He couldn’t at the time. The former Norwegian cross-country skiing superstar had the Olympics to tend to. Last summer, Duncan, a world-renowned National Multiple Sclerosis Society researcher...
Note: This story has been updated to include thoughts from David Chamberlain, who was later proclaimed the 2012 American Birkebeiner classic champion. *** All American Birkebeiner coverage is brought to you through the generous support of SkiErg. Before and during the American Birkebeiner 54 k classic race on Saturday, the thought of being disqualified never crossed Joe Dubay’s mind. The 21-year-old said he didn’t think twice when his College of Saint Scholastica teammate Chris Parr gave...
All American Birkebeiner coverage is brought to you through the generous support of SkiErg. CABLE, Wis. – Whether or not it’s your first time following or participating in the American Birkebeiner, a point-to-point race from Cable to Hayward in northern Wisconsin, here are few pieces of information to bring you up to speed on what’s happening at the 39th annual event. 1. The biggest one of all. The Birkie as the largest cross-country ski marathon...
http://www.birkie.com/page/show/457128-vegard-ulvang-calendar-of-appearances. The Birkie’s popular Ski for the Cure pin will once again be available for $20 at the expo and online at www.wisMS.org. Those wearing the pin on their Birkebeiner or Kortelopet race bib when crossing the finish line will be eligible to win randomly selected prizes, including a pair of Fischer skis autographed by Ulvang. Vegard Ulvang has a long history of winning on Fischer skis, including three Olympic gold medals at...
5 Reasons to Attend the Birkie Welcome and Torch Lighting Press release — Get ready for some great new additions to the Official Welcome and Torch Lighting at Birkie 2012. The festivities start at a new time–5:30 p.m. on Thursday, February 23, on Hayward’s Main Street, under the holiday lights. It all starts with the traditional parade of flags, presented by skiers from both Hayward and Drummond high school ski teams. Here’s what else is happening: THE...
Press release Recognized as one of Norway’s Top Ten Nordic skiers of all time, Vegard Ulvang also just completed an 800-mile ski to the South Pole on December 14, 2011, in celebration of the 100th Anniversary of Amundsen’s famous expedition in 1911. Attend his rare presentation on Thursday, Feb. 23 of Birkie Week and hear first-hand from Ulvang about the experiences of his team during this historic trek. Check out the team’s Calendar of Appearances...