Cross Country Skiing
FIS Cross-Country World Cup Race Director Michal Lamplot previews new season
November 27, 2025 / FIS
FIS Cross-Country Race Director Michal Lamplot outlines the 2025–26 World Cup, highlighting a balanced calendar with added rest weekends, the 20th Tour de Ski featuring a new Heat Mass Start stage, and the return of the iconic 50 km races at Holmenkollen. He says Olympic preparations in Val di Fiemme are on track with upgraded courses and infrastructure, and notes a season-ending World Cup in Lake Placid as a marquee finale. The Tour remains Italy-based this year, though FIS aims to involve more host nations in future editions.
Krista Pärmäkoski reveals where she will race for the last time
November 27, 2025 / Yle Urheilu (Yle)
Finnish cross-country skier Krista Pärmäkoski, 34, announced that this season will be her last as a professional. She plans to end her career after competing in her 18th World Cup season and a fifth Winter Olympics cycle, with her final race set for the Finnish Championships 30 km classic individual start in Inari on April 12, 2026.
Frida Karlsson seeks redemption: “I want to feel my body respond”
November 27, 2025 / Sveriges Radio - Radiosporten
After finishing 10th in the 10 km freestyle at Gällivare, more than a minute behind winner Ebba Andersson, Frida Karlsson says she is aiming to bounce back at the World Cup opener in Ruka. She will race the same 10 km distance there, but in classic technique, and despite already securing her Olympic berth she insists she is not satisfied and wants proof her form is coming. “I’m not happy just having a spot—I want to feel that my body responds,” Karlsson says.
100 km sessions and the Norwegian method: Mathis Desloges on his preparation — “I love digging into what other sports do”
November 27, 2025 / L'Équipe
France’s cross-country prospect Mathis Desloges, sixth in the 2025 World Championships skiathlon, explains how he built his Olympic-season training before opening in Ruka. He details adopting Norwegian-style double-threshold work, very long endurance sessions up to 100 km, and a tailored focus on classic technique and finishing speed. Coaches Renaud Jay and Thibaut Chêne highlight his curiosity, data‑driven approach, and co‑constructed plan aimed at World Cup podiums and Milan–Cortina 2026.
Aino-Kaisa Saarinen will never forget Krista Pärmäkoski’s spontaneous spark: “After that, the podiums just kept coming”
November 27, 2025 / Yle
Finnish cross-country great Aino-Kaisa Saarinen reflects on Krista Pärmäkoski’s decision to retire after the upcoming World Cup season, praising her as the national team’s dependable “workhorse.” Saarinen recounts Pärmäkoski’s long international career with 12 championship medals, World Cup wins including Lahti 2024, and decisive relay moments like anchoring bronze in Oberstdorf 2021 over Jessie Diggins. She recalls a formative moment early in Pärmäkoski’s rise when a new insight clicked, preceding years of consistent top results.
Finnish cross-country star to retire after this season
November 27, 2025 / Sveriges Radio (Radiosporten)
Finland’s Krista Pärmäkoski, 36, announced on Instagram that she will retire after the 2025–26 season, one day before the World Cup opener in Ruka. Over an 18-season World Cup career she earned five Olympic medals (two silver, three bronze) and seven World Championship medals. She reflected on a journey of highs and lows and confirmed this will be her final World Cup campaign.
Jasmi Joensuu, 29, wants an Olympic medal and may retire afterward — dreams of starting a family
November 26, 2025 / Yle
Finnish sprint specialist Jasmi Joensuu reflects on her unconventional path, including a pivotal move to the University of Denver, and her breakout 2024–25 season culminating in the World Cup sprint globe. She says the 2026 Winter Olympics sprint in Val di Fiemme is the key target and could be her last major event, as she also dreams of starting a family. Joensuu credits mental training and international resources for her rise and notes she now splits time between Rovaniemi, Helsinki, and Geneva with partner Markus Granlund.
German Ski Association: Doping‑positive Victoria Carl will not compete at the Olympics
November 25, 2025 / Yle
Germany’s Ski Association says Olympic cross‑country champion Victoria Carl will not take part in the Milano–Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics as she remains provisionally suspended after a positive test for clenbuterol in March at the Military World Championships. Carl says the substance came from a medication provided by an army doctor and maintains there was no intentional doping, while the case is still being processed. The federation states her participation in upcoming competitions and the 2026 Games is ruled out for now, and it seeks a transparent and fair procedure that respects the athlete’s rights.
Sweden’s star Ebba Andersson angry about more sprint races – says cross-country is heading the wrong way
November 25, 2025 / Yle
Ebba Andersson criticizes the rise in sprint events on the FIS Cross-Country World Cup calendar, arguing it undermines the sport’s historical core of longer-distance racing. The season opens in Ruka with a classic sprint, and there will be 13 sprints this winter, up from 11 last year. Sprinter Marcus Grate counters that more sprints are entertaining and could even be increased further.
Decision on Russian cross-country skiers’ Olympic eligibility due in December
November 24, 2025 / Yle
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) will rule by December 10 on whether Russian and Belarusian skiers may compete at the Milan–Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics and in FIS events as neutral athletes. Russia’s ski federation (RSF), joined by the Russian Paralympic Committee and six named skiers and six para skiers, has appealed FIS’s October ban that excludes them from this season’s World Cup and therefore Olympic qualification. The World Cup opens in Ruka and continues in Trondheim before CAS’s decision, while Olympic cross-country events are scheduled to start in Val di Fiemme on February 7.
Frida Karlsson on Tenerife training camp: “Many think I’m just lying on the beach”
November 24, 2025 / SVT Sport
Frida Karlsson explains that her solo pre-season camp on Tenerife was high-altitude, high-load training rather than a vacation. She says the month there is likely her toughest training block, as she chose to prepare away from the national team ahead of the World Cup opener in Ruka next Friday. The article also plugs SVT’s documentary series “Utan filter – längdlandslaget mot OS,” premiering November 27.
Cross-country: Alvar Myhlback’s team boss after selection: “Pretty much expected”
November 24, 2025 / SVT Sport
After a standout Swedish season opener in Gällivare, 19-year-old Alvar Myhlback has been selected for the World Cup opener in Ruka. Team Lager 157 manager Anton Järnberg says the call-up was expected given Myhlback’s level, but stresses the athlete’s primary focus remains Ski Classics long-distance racing and not an Olympic push.