Meet Dinigeer Yilamujiang, future star of xcskiing. She lit the flame of the Olympics today – and she will light up your hearts with her track performances very, very  soon.

Meet Dinigeer Yilamujiang, future star of xcskiing. She lit the flame of the Olympics today – and she will light up your hearts with her track performances very, very soon.

Leaders, Newsfeed
Dinigeer Yilamujiang made history today - and hit world headlines - by being the one of the two athletes to light the flame of the Beijing Olympics A ton of virtual ink already was and is going to be spent highlighting the fact that a 20 year old cross-country skier has Uyghur roots ( both Uyghur and Kazakh to the best of our knowledge - but it's not something we want to dwell on). The Olympics always were and will remain a political show where one side is on offense and the other is trying to find a fault with an opponent. We just want to bring up the fact that Dini as she is affectionately known on the world circuit is one of the most talented xcskiers of her…
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How much does it actually cost to prepare an Olympic champion? We talk to the man in the know

How much does it actually cost to prepare an Olympic champion? We talk to the man in the know

Money & Finance, Newsfeed
Markus Cramer needs no introduction. A "doyen du corps" of the international cross country skiing coaches " guild", the German specialist had a great career spanning decades with different national teams, Olympic gold medals under his belt and is currently at his 6th Winter Olympic Games. Who would be better placed to talk about the simple yet complicated for many question: How much does it cost to prepare an athlete who has a chance to win medal at the Olympics? "... Ah, it depends on many, many factors, of course, smiles Marcus, - but if you want to be serious and count everything - a minimum 150.000 euros needs to be budgeted. Per person, per season. To win, to have a realistic chance at the Olympic gold, an athlete absolutely…
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Beijing Olympics ski tracks  – what are they like? Tough with a capital  T , says the man in the know

Beijing Olympics ski tracks – what are they like? Tough with a capital T , says the man in the know

Leaders, Newsfeed
Without further ado, we give the floor to Max Volkov, distance squad coach in Team China, who is currently at Kuyangshu Nordic and Biathlon Center in Zhangjiakou - the future Olympic venue : Overall,the Olympic tracks are quite balanced and harmonious for the lack of better description when it comes to a combination of uphills and descents. As one would imagine, there are no easy race profile configurations at the top level competitions in principle. But in Beijing there are added factors: The one that gets mentioned a lot is the altitude. The courses are laid on or above 1700m - that's higher than any FIS World Cup races in Europe. During the Olympic Games, the weather is expected to be cold and dry. That would make the snow slow.…
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C8 fluoro waxes would be legal in Beijing – unlike in Europe. But there is no point in using them, says leading coach on the ground in China

C8 fluoro waxes would be legal in Beijing – unlike in Europe. But there is no point in using them, says leading coach on the ground in China

Gear News, Newsfeed
The scandal around the use of ski waxes containing banned C8 fluorocarbons , at the Scandinavian Cup in Falun keeps on flaring. Perfluorooctanoic acid known colloquially as C8 is banned in the European Union , Norway and Switzerland to name but a few. Therefore using it in ski waxes is illegal as of 2021 - both in FIS and IBU competitions since those take place in Europe, almost exclusively. There are three problems with that: - C8s do give advantage in certain situations - at least that's what majority (not all) ski waxers are saying - Anyone who is anyone in xcskiing had amassed a lifetime supply of very expensive C8 lubricants and is not terribly keen to just throw it away - Most importantly,there is still no reliable detection…
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Planica gets cancelled too. Time to talk changes?

Planica gets cancelled too. Time to talk changes?

Newsfeed
The second stage in a row of the FIS World Cup 2021/22 just got folded. The Planica cancellation announcement mirrors that of Les Rousses: COVID fears, " safety of stakeholders cannot be guaranteed" etc. etc. ". Meanwhile, a double weekend of mass skiing just finished in nearby South Tyrol - including two Visma Ski Classics races. Without a hitch. Meanwhile, the IBU Junior Biathlon Cup event is about to kick off in Pokljuka. Is it in some different Slovenia than the one where Planica is located by any chance? Perhaps it is a time to start openly saying that the current system whereas national ski federation and LOCa (local organising committees) hold all the cards and can pull the plug at any moment, is antiquividated? Yes, if words become deeds…
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