Nordic Combined: Devastating Consequences After Olympic Exit

After the end of the Olympics, DSV sports director Horst Hüttel is very concerned about the future of the Nordic combiners. First boarding schools want to close. “The situation is dramatic and enormously challenging for all parties involved.” On the one hand, we want to focus on sport. On the other hand, the decision of July 7 has triggered landslide-like changes in the whole world of the Nordic Combination - not only in Germany, but also internationally, said Hüttel in an interview on the Internet portal "web.de". The sports director of the German Ski Association (DSV) also criticized the worldwide association for skiing and snowboarding FIS. "The information we received from the FIS, which corresponded and was in contact with the IOC alone, went in a different direction," Hüttel said. Unfortunately, it must be said that we were probably not always told the truth by the FIS. From the inner circle of the association, information has now entered the outside world that points in a different direction. We are disappointed about that. The decision calls our entire existence into question, Hüttel continued. Is there still hope for 2034? Hüttel made especially the now-diselected FIS President Johan Eliasch serious accusations. "Unfortunately, the change of the FIS President came too late in my view", the Swedish-British businessman had "great damage to the Nordic combination". Hopes now rest on the new FIS boss Alexander Ospelt. "Decisive for the discipline will be how intensive and with how much passion the FIS will act in the future," said Hüttel. At the end of November, the new World Cup season begins in Finland, which will also be important for a possible return to the Olympic programme in 2034. We will see how the World Cup goes, how it is accepted and presented. After that, we will be able to say more. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) had decided in early July to remove the combination after more than 100 years from the program of the Winter Games for 2030. For the DSV sports director, the elimination of federal funds would have "devastating effects" on the entire ski jumping sport. Not only the promotion of the Nordic combination, but also that of ski jumping depends in many ways on public funds. This mainly concerns sports facilities, construction measures, infrastructure and their maintenance, but also coaching positions, explained Hüttel. Negative signals from two elite schools The cancellation of funding would be fatal for the work of young people. We have already received signals from two elite schools, mainly financed by the countries. These state financings are also related to federal financing. We were informed that no Nordic combination could and should be operated there in the future, Hüttel said. "This is fatal for the athletes who are already at these schools, but also for possible new shots, which could be eliminated." We have about seven boarding schools in the junior sector. In two of them, we have already received information about the countries that support should be virtually eliminated by 1 January 2027, he said.