Petter Northug abandons his Olympic dream

Norwegian cross-country skiing icon Petter Northug, 39, has decided to give up his attempt to compete at the Milano–Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. He confirmed the decision to Norway’s TV 2.

Over recent years, Northug had floated the idea of returning to top-level international racing at the Olympics, potentially by representing another country. Among the possibilities mentioned were Austria, Liechtenstein, and most recently Mexico, which had openly tried to recruit him.

Northug now says the timeline makes it unrealistic. He points to the lengthy process of changing nationality and securing eligibility.

“Competing at the Olympics is probably distant. If I started working on changing countries now, the 2027 World Championships would be the realistic target. I’m focusing mainly on long-distance races now. I’m putting the lid on the Olympic dream,” Northug told TV 2.

In April, it was confirmed that Austria would not take the double Olympic champion and 13-time world champion into its team. Mexico’s ski federation president, Carlos Pruneda, told Yle earlier that even the Mexican ambassador had met with Northug as part of the discussions. He also noted in June that switching national allegiance is time‑consuming, though he hoped some progress might have been possible by the end of September at an International Ski Federation (FIS) meeting.

With the Olympic bid shelved, Northug says his focus will remain on long-distance events, rather than pursuing the complex path to race for a new nation.