Austria's biathlon team before the upheaval: Who takes the lead?

Austria's biathlon team before the upheaval: Who takes the lead?

The Austrian biathlon team is facing a dramatic change, because far-reaching changes in the management team have been announced. As the "Krone" reported, the Austrian Ski Association (ÖSV) plans to part with the end of the season from the biathlon director Franz Berger and the Norwegian head coach Vegard Bitnes. The experienced professional and current consultant Dominik Landeringer also apparently has to go. However, official confirmation is still pending. The biathletes could not convince this season: Before the last race weekend in Oslo there was only one top 10 place, while Simon Eder was only listed in 35th place in the overall World Cup.

In the middle of these uncertainties, Christoph Sumann, a former top athlete and now a potential successor to Berger, spoke out. He confirmed that talks about a possible takeover of the office were already held: "The biathlon team is important to me." In addition, Sumann recently caused a sensation by joking to the news that he was temporarily excluded from the World Cup team. He explained that he deliberately did not want to take part in the competition in Oberhof because he does not like the route and prefers to train in Seefeld, where he finds optimal conditions. "However, I deliberately leave out the event," said the two-time Olympic silver medalist, who declares that he had already decided in May to avoid Oberhof in order to prepare for other competitions. ÖSV head coach Remo Krug noted his waiver.

The developments within the Austrian biathlon team raise questions: With a possible fresh start, there could be a lot on the brink. Sumann's reaction to the challenges shows that the athletes have to adapt to new conditions. This could not only herald a new era in biathlon sports, but also the chance to catch up with the gap to international top. The entire team has to start focused in the upcoming competitions and rethink their tactics in order to be more successful in the coming season. These challenges and possibilities were recently analyzed in detail by the "Kleine Zeitung".

For more information on the situation in the biathlon team and to Christoph Sumann’s current activities, take a look at the reporting of Laola1 and Kleine Zeitung .