Winter Olympics 2022 - 'Robbed' - Kjetil Jansrud hits out after 'first major scandal of Olympics' in skiing

ByEurosport

Updated 05/02/2022 at 09:09 GMT

Kjetil Jansrud is the most decorated active Olympic Alpine skier with five Olympic medals and has recovered from ligament damage suffered in a crash at a World Cup super-G event in Colorado in December to race in Beijing. But after a third Alpine training session was called off due to strong winds on Saturday, he was left fuming as three racers got their sessions in before it was cancelled.

Watch Mayer's run as wind wreaks havoc and causes training to be cancelled in Beijing

Alpine skier Kjetil Jansrud hit out at the FIS race director after Friday's downhill training in Beijing was cancelled due to strong winds, saying he felt "robbed" by the decision.

Matthias Mayer, Christof Innerhofer and gold medal favourite Aleksander Aamodt Kilde all completed their final training run of the men's alpine downhill on Saturday before it was called off by Markus Waldner due to the conditions.

The trio complained at the finish line about the weather conditions before the jury cancelled the session "in the interest of safety".

Bormio

Mayer announces shock retirement from Alpine Skiing

29/12/2022 at 16:07

But the man most angered by the decision was Jansrud, who has called Waldner a "dictator" for allowing the trio to have what he considers an unfair advantage ahead of the race on Sunday.

"It's not okay in any way to do it the way they did it," he said on discovery+. "There is complete chaos with the flow of information. You get the impression that Markus ran a little dictator line without information, so it is very difficult to be an athlete at the top and have no idea if it will be on or not.

"At the same time, you notice in the whole field, myself included, that there is a big difference between those who have had a third trip down and those who have not. I think as a collective you feel as if you were robbed from the opportunity to get some practice today, so it is the way it was handled that is a bit problematic.

"I thought it was time to speak out in a proper way. It has something to do with the flow of communication as well. We are a marginal sport where wind and training rounds can affect the result, and at least the psyche of many at the start. Then there must be a form of communication and process on such decisions that affects whether it is the clockmaker. There we basically have a set of rules.

"It's okay to have some ice in your stomach. When athletes have adrenaline in their body, it can help. Therefore, it is good that they can take half an hour and talk well with both those at the finish and those at the start and make a well-thought-out decision. We are a bunch of professionals who depend on having confidence that the system works and that they make good decisions.

"Today I think it was a bit of a collective feeling that this came out of the blue a bit. It may well turn out to have been the right decision, but today there are a few extra emotions."

'FIRST MAJOR SCANDAL OF THE OLYMPICS'

Eurosport expert and former Alpine skier Tom Stiansen said: "Now the big nations with Austria, Norway and Italy have each got a runner out, while of other big nations, the USA and Switzerland are most cursed. But everyone thinks it is unfair. There will be real noise at the team leader meeting tonight. That jury's decision is as unfair as it gets.

"It is the Olympics' first major scandal."

WALDNER: IT WAS TOO DANGEROUS

Race director Waldner said: "Many thought we should continue, but unfortunately it was too dangerous. This wind was not there five minutes before we started. Then we would not start. We had been there for two hours when we decided and then it was quiet. Suddenly the wind came in the middle and also at the top. It was dangerous.

"If it had happened five minutes earlier, we would not have started. The decision was also based on the weather forecasts. Security is the main reason.

"Unfair? This is Force majeure. Three teams have been given an extra training round, but for everyone there have been two good ones.

"Tomorrow is the race, and they have to focus on it now. This is outdoor sports, our sport is never fair."