Surgery layoff: Austrian Nordic combined ace to miss World Cup opener; Seidl called up

Austrian Nordic combined athlete Fabio Obermeyr has undergone an appendectomy and will be sidelined for the season’s opening World Cup round in Ruka at the end of the month.

According to the Austrian Ski Federation (ÖSV), Mario Seidl will take Obermeyr’s place in the eight‑man squad. For Seidl, this will be his first World Cup appearance since early March 2024. He was retroactively suspended in May for blood doping for the period from 28 November 2019 to 27 November 2023.

Team doctor Philipp Wagner estimates that Obermeyr should be able to return to training in about two weeks if recovery proceeds as expected.