Athletes rebelled

“Learning lessons”: Stöckl no longer coach of Norway

Alexander Stöckl and the Norwegian Ski Association have reached an agreement after months of disputes. The Austrian is no longer head coach of the Norwegian ski jumpers. An agreement has been reached, Stöckl emphasizes. The association thanked him for his work. Both sides now want to "learn the right lessons". 

"I am very happy with the agreement. It was exhausting, but we have reached an agreement that we are both happy with," Stöckl told the Norwegian broadcaster "NRK". Shortly beforehand, the ski association announced that it had reached an agreement with the Austrian to part ways. He is no longer head coach of the Norwegian men's ski jumping team. 

It is the provisional end to a recent public mud-slinging between athletes, federation and coach. At the beginning of May, Stöckl had announced a lawsuit against the federation. Now the 50-year-old, who worked as head coach in Norway for 13 years, emphasizes that he looks back on an instructive time and is grateful for the shared experiences. The conflict has therefore been resolved. 

Background not known
The Norwegian Ski Association also thanked Stöckl in a statement for their time together and the celebrated successes: "Alexander will always be considered one of the greats in Norwegian ski jumping, and we are very grateful for his work," said Secretary General Arne Baumann. Stöckl had helped to resolve a difficult situation for ski jumping. 

Both sides now want to learn the "right lessons". Neither party wanted to comment on the background to the agreement. Stöckl's contract was due to run until 2026, but the athletes had already expressed their dissatisfaction in an open letter to the federation at the beginning of the year. Since then, the head coach has not been at competitions with his team.