ISPO 2018: What We Saw, Noticed and Liked

ISPO 2018: What We Saw, Noticed and Liked

Gear News, Newsfeed
ISPO is huge. No photo or even video could convey ginormous size of the exhibition spread over 16 cavernous halls. It also would not let you forget for a second that industrial heart of the world these days is beating in China. And in India. And in Bangladesh. And Pakistan. [caption id="attachment_6585" align="aligncenter" width="1600"] Marwe had its people dressed in real cool looking vests with multiple pockets. Production perspectives uncertain as Asian manufacturers are only willing to produce in volume [/caption] Since cross country skiing is a niche sport, alas, Asian manufacturers who think in terms of volume, are not yet big in this sector. The things, however, are slowly changing – several Chinese producers had their products on display, mostly entry-level ski boots and rollerskis. ISPO is fundametally different…
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Secret Of Why Norway Is So Strong In Skiing Is Revealed

Secret Of Why Norway Is So Strong In Skiing Is Revealed

Newsfeed, Training & Outfitting
As 21 year old Johannes Klaebo was busy crushing his opponents in sprint freestyle finals in Seefeld this weekend, just a few hundred meters from the stadium Agnete was polishing her freestyle skiing skills too. And it's a really big question who's got more spectators – so good was Agnete with her moves, so determined and ready to win. Agnete is 5 and, like Johannes, she is also from Trondheim, Norway [caption id="attachment_6568" align="aligncenter" width="1600"] Agnete's and her 3 year old brother's skis are cooling off. A little boy prefers classic style as he finds it more prudent to ski along the tracks. [/caption] There will be no pictures of Agnete in this story because filming & posting pictures of children should be left to their parents should they so…
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Who Are We Going To Miss At Olympics – And Why Is It Totally Wrong

Who Are We Going To Miss At Olympics – And Why Is It Totally Wrong

Leaders, Newsfeed
Two weeks to go to the Olympic Games, cross country skiing fans start counting disappointments The modern sport is not about who wins – it's about who's got bigger personality, appeal, following. To simplify matters – if a skier got 50k subscribers on Instagram, that universal popularity tool, yet was not selected for Pyeonchang – it ain't good for the great sport of skiing. [caption id="attachment_6358" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] fans pack the stands to see not only competitions but first and foremost their heroes. It was plain and evident in Dresden that many ( most?) came to look at Jonannes Klaebo[/caption] Let's see who we'll miss in Korea The double crown goes to two Norwegians – but of course. With a deliberate, symbolic denial of the Olympics to, arguably, world's strongest…
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Ustiugov Not Invited To Participate in Olympics?

Ustiugov Not Invited To Participate in Olympics?

Leaders, Newsfeed
Sergey Ustiugov might miss the Olympic Games in Pyeonchang. That follows from leaked contents of the International Olympic Committee letter to the Russian Olympic Committee The document allegedly contains provisional list of Russian athletes that the IOC will invite to participate in the Games. After Russia was suspended last month, the IOC reserved the right to send personal invitations to Russian sportsmen it deems fit to partake under a neutral flag. Ustiugov, a double winner of the World Championships in Lahti in 2017 is absent from the list – along with the two other leading Russian athletes – Anton Shipulin, biathlon and Viktor Ahn , short-track speedskating. Neither of the three were ever mentioned in either the McLaren Report or Rodchenkov testimony as suspects. Neither of the three were ever…
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Markus Cramer, Man Who Coached Cologna And Now Coaches Ustiugov

Markus Cramer, Man Who Coached Cologna And Now Coaches Ustiugov

Leaders, Newsfeed
Markus Cramer made his name by coaching then little known Dario Cologna to overall World Cup victory in 2008/2009 and , later, to the golden medal of the Olympics in Vancouver in 2010. Before that he brought a virtually unknown Swiss female squad to bronze medals in the 4 × 5 km relay at the Salt Lake City Olympics in 2012 [caption id="attachment_6512" align="aligncenter" width="1600"] Cramer with old friends & colleagues from the German ski team[/caption] But now, just a few weeks ahead of the Pyeonchang Olympics, a 54 year old German specialist finds himself in a limbo. Several skiers that Cramer coached in the recent years – namely Alexander Legkov and Evgeny Belov are stripped of their Sochi medals and banned from the Games ( the Court of Arbitration for…
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