Trouble with women looms

Stöckl chaos: Norwegians have an alternative in mind

Alexander Stöckl has been coach of the Norwegian men's ski jumping team since 2011.(Bild: GEPA pictures)

The Norwegian ski jumpers have apparently already identified a preferred successor for their head coach Alexander Stöckl. The Norwegian women's ski jumping coach Christian Meyer is to replace the Austrian. It is the next chapter in the "rebellion". 

According to a report in "Dagbladet", Meyer is the preferred solution of the athletes around Johann Andre Forfang. Further cooperation with head coach Stöckl is therefore no longer an option for the Norwegians. They are pushing for a fresh start as quickly as possible, as the ski jumpers also made clear in a letter to the federation. 

However, their new desired destination now harbors further potential for conflict. Because the Norwegian ski jumpers are not even thinking of letting their coach go. "It's pretty clear that Christian will continue with us," emphasizes Silje Opseth, for example.

Change before the home World Championships?
Meyer has already assured his athletes that a change within the association is not an option. "He has built up a solid women's team since 2011. It would be a shame if he were to give up shortly before the 2025 home World Championships in Trondheim," the twelfth-placed overall World Cup winner continued. 

The men's ski jumping team, on the other hand, are said not to want to give up their preferred solution so quickly. There is currently only speculation about what exactly happened between head coach Stöckl and his team. The Austrian himself is currently staying away from the competitions and is otherwise keeping a low profile with comments.