“This is dangerous!” Uproar over ‘ski exotic’ allowed to start in World Cup

There was controversy in the Cross‑Country World Cup after 48‑year‑old Edward Limbaga of the Philippines was allowed to start the 10 km skating individual start in Trondheim.

Limbaga, who reportedly has been on skis only for a few weeks, finished 111th and last, taking more than twice as long as the winner, Norway’s Einar Hedegart. He crashed several times during the race, and also broke a pole.

Austria’s Mika Vermeulen was sharply critical in comments to Norway’s NRK: “This is dangerous and the reason why you start with kids’ races and not the World Cup. I don’t think it’s good publicity for the sport when a Filipino who has only skied for a few weeks is allowed to start and falls on every downhill.”

Norwegian skier Jan Thomas Jenssen added: “I don’t think he even knows how to hold the poles correctly.”

According to the report, a special FIS provision made Limbaga’s start possible. During the first three World Cup weekends of the season, athletes with weaker points can enter races to try to earn points toward Olympic qualification.

The incident has reignited debate over safety standards and entry criteria in top‑level cross‑country skiing, especially when Olympic qualification windows open to new nations and developing skiers.