Alpine Skiing
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The head coach accused of behaviors that would lead many team members to leave. The response of the Styrian technician did not wait
Saturday 6 April 2019 4 minutes reading time
There is really no peace in the male sector of the Norwegian national team. As is known, the conflict between Henrik Kristoffersen and his federation has been going on since 2016, cited by the giant champion (with damages requested for 1.6 million euros) due to the impossibility of being able to use the Red Bull brand on own helmet, in place of the federal sponsor Telenor. The 24-year-old from Lorenskog used a new screen-printed helmet with a bull in the Cup finals in Soldeu and the national championships: many of them took it as a provocation, given that by mid-April a conclusion of the case to the court should be reached of Oslo.
Kristoffersen himself was at the center of the case linked to the resignation of Austrian coach Stefan Kornberger, head of the slalomgigantas who left the national team during the Kitzbuehel competitions, confirming that the contrasts with the star of the team were decisive in this decision. The bomb exploded in the last hours, reported by the Norwegian television NRK, concerns however the attack received from the head coach of the men's team, Christian Mitter; the Styrian technician was harshly criticized by the medical team that follows the national team, given that all eight members "warned" the federation through a letter sent at the end of the world championships on 22 February.
"Mitter is in possession of great qualities as a coach and organizer, but in our opinion his philosophy and his management of the team is so unhappy that it should be questioned to maintain the leadership he has had so far," reads the letter that Dr. . Ellen Moen regrets reaching the public. Adding that "many team members will resign and if the situation does not change, further departures will follow."
The response of the head coach was not long in coming: "I am aware of the fact that there has been a complaint against my management style and my forms of communication, but before I know exactly what it is, I wish that the accusations were put in a constructive way ". At the same time, the director of the alpine sector, Claus Ryste, said he was "convinced that the story can be resolved positively", while a Norwegian skiing legend like Kjetil Andrè Aamodt, interviewed by the same NRK, spoke of "problems that hurt to our movement and that could be resolved through dialogue â€, also referring to the case between Kristoffersen and the federation.
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