The World Championship may "force" stars to skip the home event

The Swedish long-distance skiing public risks missing out on seeing the world elite live in the World Championship coming season.

The only home competition this winter is just before the World Championship – when most athletes are fine-tuning their form for Trondheim instead.

It's a shame that Falun is in a build-up period and we might not have all the best athletes in place. But we'll see where we end up when we get closer, says national team coach Lars Ljung.

Having the extra home crowd support and shorter journeys is, of course, something the Swedish team appreciates. But last season's three World Cups in Sweden – Gällivare, Östersund, and Falun – will be reduced to just one in Falun this coming season.

It's a luxury to have it on home turf. We were very spoiled last year with three home events. But it evens out, says Ljung.

The World Cup in Falun takes place on 14–16 February and is the last one before the World Championship in Trondheim, which starts on 26 February.

Many athletes may choose to skip the competitions in Falun and instead train for the season's most important races.

"Tight before the World Championship"

Swedish veteran Calle Halfvarsson is on the same track:

It's fun to compete at home, but it's especially tight this year. It's tight before the World Championship and the camp we have then, so we'll see how it goes, says Halfvarsson.

Lars Öberg, the Swedish Ski Association's cross-country chief, sits on the international federation FIS meetings that plan the seasons.

We have offered to arrange more competitions and think two is a reasonable number to have per season. Then we see Ulricehamn, Gällivare, and Östersund as complements to Falun, explains Öberg.

After the World Cup in Falun in 2022, Sweden wanted more competitions, which has yielded results in recent years.

At the same time, we need to ensure that interest in the sport increases internationally, and then it's also important that we're visible in more countries and create interest there, says Öberg.

Scandinavian block

In the future, he hopes to make a new proposal a reality.

We want to reduce travel and have better conditions with natural snow. Running a Scandinavian block in December with competitions in Finland, Sweden, and Norway in succession is something we want to see. There, the distances are relatively short, and the snow conditions are usually good, says Öberg.

The World Cup season starts in Ruka, Finland, on 29 November.

Lars Frank/TT