Criticism on TV, praise from a teammate: the ski ace freak-out sparks debate

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Alexander Steen Olsen (22) is showing his best giant slalom season. Last winter he failed to get a result in seven out of ten races, but this year that happened only once. Otherwise, with the exception of the second giant slalom of Aspen (17th), the Norwegian has never been worse than twelfth place and celebrated his podium debut in this discipline as second in Bansko (Bul).

Halfway through the World Cup finals in Saalbach (Austria), Steen Olsen is again on course for a podium place. But he is unable to defend third place. The second run failed, he fell back and finished “only” ninth. A result that irritates the young Norwegian enormously.

Therefore, his stick must remain slightly outside the target area. He takes his frustration out on him and slams him into a barrier so hard that it breaks. He angrily peppers the leftovers in a tree. Ski enthusiasts witness this scene on television.

Did the cameraman follow him?

This is exactly what causes criticism. “The cameraman followed him and filmed him,” complains Claus Ryste, head of sport at the Norwegian Ski Association, to NRK. Because Steen Olsen says in an interview with the broadcaster that he specifically left people to express his frustration. He saw the cameraman and waited a few seconds: “I thought he was gone. But apparently he isn’t.”

The ORF, which is responsible for the broadcast, does not leave these accusations unchallenged. The cameraman filmed from a distance, says station employee Michael Kögler, according to NRK. “We can’t stop filming. He has to learn how to behave. We just can’t show it.”

Sports and results are important to him

Steen Olsen is aware that the scene does not look good on television. “I don’t want children to see this and think this is normal behavior,” he says. And at the same time emphasizes: “I think it is good to show that emotions are involved.”

That’s exactly what a teammate praises. Two-time world champion Henrik Kristoffersen (29) says about NRK: “This reaction shows that the sport and the results are important to him. That’s absolutely fine and will lead to him winning a lot of races one day.”

And Kristoffersen knows what he’s talking about. He has already celebrated some successes and likes to let his emotions flow – for example when he wants to attack climate activists or express his opinion to the FIS race director after the slalom was canceled. (beer)

Source : Blick