Cross-country: William Poromaa on Norwegian 'coward' jab: “Nice to hear”

Norwegian star Harald Østberg Amundsen has criticized Swedish cross‑country skiers for being “cowards” who compete too little, noting that many Swedes skip a surprising number of races.

William Poromaa declined to be provoked by the comments. “It’s nice to hear that Harald misses us at the competitions. He can think what he wants,” Poromaa told SVT Sport. He explained that he prioritizes major championships and that the trend toward shorter race distances doesn’t encourage him to enter more events. “I’m most passionate about championships, and of course it’s disappointing when distances are shortened, which doesn’t benefit me. I like the longer races from 15 to 50 kilometers.”

Poromaa added that many TV viewers he’s spoken with still prefer following longer distances, even if “it is what it is” regarding current formats.

Swedish sprinter Marcus Grate expressed some sympathy with Amundsen’s stance: “We have to dare to race as much as possible—easy for me to say as a sprinter—but if we’re not visible the interest will disappear. We need to be seen if we want to keep this sport.”