Hanna Falk questions Ski Classics’ new sprint-for-points: “Doubtful – it becomes a different sport”

Ski Classics, the long-distance cross-country skiing series, will introduce a sprint event that awards points toward the overall standings. The move has sparked debate.

Radiosporten’s skiing expert Hanna Falk is skeptical. In her view, Ski Classics already has a clear and successful concept built on long, endurance-heavy races. Introducing a point-scoring sprint, she says, risks diluting what makes the tour distinctive and could turn the product into something else.

Falk questions the rationale of adding sprinting primarily for marketing and promotion. To illustrate her point, she draws a comparison: asking a distance specialist to race a pure sprint is like having Swedish middle- and long-distance runner Andreas Almgren run 200 meters—it becomes a fundamentally different event.

Her remarks add to a growing discussion within the long-distance scene about balancing tradition and identity with efforts to attract new audiences and sponsors.