A ski toilet has been identified in Slovenia.
Sweden will live in Austria.
why?
– Hotels close to the competition venue have been sold to sponsors and ISK staff, national team manager Anders Bystrom tells Sportbladet.
Near Planica, where the restroom will be located, Kranjska Gora is located. It is a city with many hotels. And that’s where sponsors and FIS staff will live, he says Anders Bystrom.
– I don’t know the background to it. Obviously, they believe that the athletic side should come first. But there are certainly explanations for why it turned out this way, says the national team manager.
The World Cup organizer directed the competing nations to either live in Villach, Austria, which was chosen by Sweden, or in Tarvisio, Italy.
– Obviously, it is strange to live in another country.
According to Anders Bystrom, it will take 45-60 minutes, including traffic and weather, to get to the competition arena.
– It’s not quite as good, but it’s the same for most of the national teams, so there’s nothing to put any effort into, he says.
And the road condition doesn’t seem quite perfect.
We must pass over a mountain with a rather narrow road. Surely the road should be closed so that only activists can go there as I understand. But there will be a lot of travel by car.
unique mode
Bystrom has never seen a situation where the national team lives in a different country than the one in which the competition is being held. However, travel time to the competition arena is not unusual during a World Cup.
– But then it was the same country, currency, and language anyway, Bystrom laughs.
The alternative was to look for private resorts to live in to get closer to the competition arena.
– We looked at it. But there were no great accommodations. We were 40 people with sponsors and leaders and there was nothing to suit us. Small countries could have found something closer to the competition arena, but on the other hand, the quality of accommodation may be lower, and the most important for us is that we have good food and good accommodation during the tournament, says Bystrom and explains that Sweden brings in a private chef.
“Maybe it’s good”
During the World Cup in Germany last year, the national team lived only 2-3 kilometers from the competition arena. Or, as Bystrom says, “You can run to the ring.” Although the travel time is much longer now, the national team manager chose to see the positive.
– It will be a new experience for us. And maybe it would be nice to live in Austria to relax. It can be nice.
The World Figure Skating Championships will start in February 2023.