tskulski@steamboatpilot. com
The International Olympic Committee’s typhoon cloud continues to hover over the dreams of Nordic team athletes around the world.
In 2022, the IOC announced that she would participate with the women’s Nordic combined at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, sending shockwaves through the sport. The IOC doubled down, saying the long duration of men’s sport would remain dubious in the run-up to the 2030 Games.
The men’s Nordic team is lately the only winter game at the Games that has no equal for women. The IOC could face a political backlash and, if it introduces the women’s game, could end both programs at the Olympic point.
Many in the Nordic Combined Network gathered via video chat on Tuesday to talk about the sport’s struggles and the role the USA’s Nordic sport can play. It is important to revive its popularity and keep it applicable in the Olympic future. The talk about ion, which is the beginning of an initiative. called Pathways for Success, led by Jill Brabec, mother of two local Nordic combined athletes, one of whom competes for the U. S. national team. U. S.
At the start of the conversation, USANS sporting director Anders Johnson explained what the IOC is looking for to start contemplating a resurgence of Nordic combined at the Games.
“They gave FIS (the International Ski Federation) a series of ticks or boxes that they needed to make sure the IOC would go after them,” Johnson said. “One of them (at the progression point) is the number of nations performing at the top or fighting for podiums at the World Youth Championships but also at the Youth Olympic Games. They also looked at the number of nations that performed well at the point of the World Cup. Not only do they participate, but they also have scoring issues for the World Cup. And, from a broader perspective, look at viewership and the popularity of TV and those kinds of metrics.
Johnson later added that the IOC had been more positive about the number of nations battling for podiums at the progression level. In recent history, only Norway, Austria, Germany and Finland have reached this level, however, this season that number has doubled to 8 nations. , adding the number of U. S. athletes who have stood on the podium.
“The main update from the FIS is that they are very pleased with the trajectory of the Nordic team from the point of progression, but the next step is to implement that at the World Cup, as there are still some nations that dominate in all Nordic areas combined,” Johnson continued. It’s about how other nations can expand and succeed on the podium at one-off FIS events. “
Although the U. S. didn’t make the podium this season at a Nordic combined World Cup event, many of its athletes achieved their personal bests. Steamboat’s Alexa Brabec finished tenth this season in Austria, while Annika Malacinski was eighth for her. the highest of his career at an Austrian event earlier this season. Niklas Malacinski and Grant Andrews, also of Steamboat Springs, closed the season with personal bests of 14th and 32nd respectively.
“We have the systems to be a success, however, what’s happened since the COVID era is that we’ve lost a lot of revenue coming into the sport, whether it’s donors or sponsors, that has drastically decreased,” the USANS board chair said. Tom Bickner. . « This put undue financial pressure on the organisation and we had to reduce our activities and especially our workforce. “
Faced with primary problems such as declining domestic and foreign popularity, declining investments and sponsorships for years, and disapproval from the IOC, USANS members defined their long-term plans.
Jill Brabec mentioned five keys to keeping the game afloat. The first is to develop marketing and communications. As an example, he cited Annika Malacinski, who has attracted fans on social media sites to help her share her reports as an elite Winter Games athlete.
The key of the moment is to focus on sponsorship and donor relations, while also identifying fundraising opportunities to maintain a more consistent flow of earnings. There was also a focus on working with other primary Nordic nations combined with foreign engagement and creating a united front.
The fourth key to hosting a Nordic Combined World Cup in the United States, and Lake Placid in particular tipped as the number one location option. The fifth key is to simply defend the game and compare it to the rest of the world.
Brabec believes that in the summer of 2026 an IOC resolution regarding the Nordic combined at the 2030 Olympic Games will be adopted. The committee will reduce the number of athletes competing at the Games to 3,000 and has focused on the Nordic combined as a way to start the reduction. Many may count on the sport’s audience at the 2026 Games.
“It’s a short window, all things considered,” Brabec said. “That’s where a lot of the urgency comes from. “
Those who wish to donate to the USANS Nordic Combo Program can do so under the “Donate” tab in USANordic. org.
Billy Demong, gold medalist at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, shared many of his thoughts on his beloved sport. He sees the way forward for its revitalization, but says what’s left: Is it too late?
“There are several other paths to success,” Demag said. One of them is to do everything we can to make the national team successful, and I think the Norwegian (partnership) program is a short-term accelerator for the national team athletes who are mature enough to deserve it. This year you will be able to see more wonderful effects in all spaces of Nordic combination and ski jumping, so this is a positive step in the right direction. . . Ultimately, I think it’s about making sure that we stay with the systems and the athletes in this country. Regardless of your age, it’s a wonderful sport. Many of our athletes on the men’s and women’s national ski jumping team come from the Nordic combination. . . It is the ski course par excellence.
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