Mika Vermeulen on Filipino skier’s crash: “Has nothing to do in the World Cup”

Austrian cross-country skier Mika Vermeulen reacted strongly after viewing footage from Sunday’s World Cup 10 km freestyle in Trondheim that showed Edward Limbaga of the Philippines crashing and nearly being hit by oncoming athletes.

Vermeulen argued that the World Cup is the sport’s highest level and should have tougher participation criteria. He said that allowing someone who began skiing only four weeks earlier to start is unsafe and undermines the image of the sport. “If you can’t race under 80 FIS points, you have nothing to do in the World Cup,” he said.

This season, FIS has introduced a special exception for Period 1 (the three pre‑Christmas World Cup weekends) allowing athletes with up to 800 FIS points to start. If they record a result below 300 FIS points once, their nation secures a basic Olympic quota place—often used by the athlete themselves. The change came at the IOC’s request to give smaller nations an extra chance to qualify for the Olympics.

During Sunday’s men’s 10 km freestyle, several early starters—including Limbaga—had very high FIS point totals, indicating limited international results. The article highlights close calls as Kevin Bolger (USA), Samer Tawk (Lebanon) and Attila Mihaly Kertesz (Israel) narrowly avoided a fallen Limbaga on a technical corner. Norwegian skiers Harald Østberg Amundsen and Jan Thomas Jenssen expressed concern, suggesting weaker athletes should start at the back to reduce risks.

Limbaga acknowledged he fell in one of the course’s toughest turns and said he tries to follow the rules and move out of the way when faster skiers pass. He noted he broke a pole and skied roughly two kilometers with only one pole, finishing 111th of 111, 23:29 behind winner Einar Hedegart. Despite the result, he felt positives in his rhythm and climbing.

FIS race director Michal Lamplot said he does not believe it is inherently dangerous for weaker athletes to race alongside the world’s best, provided they pay attention and avoid creating hazards. He added that, under normal circumstances, organizers would place the least competitive starters at the end, but Trondheim’s tight schedule and limited daylight forced them to put them at the beginning to avoid conflicts with the Nordic combined cross-country race.

Limbaga’s last pre‑Christmas chance to reach the 300‑point Olympic standard will be in Davos next weekend. He thanked FIS for giving small nations the opportunity to pursue Olympic qualification.