Paul Accola never stops, even at 53: "I think of young people and I say that we need to change"

Interviewed by "Blick", the winner of the 1991/92 World Cup talked about the war with the federation, that magical year beating Tomba and the future of skiing.

Tuesday 1 September 2020 4 minutes reading time

They found him busy in his Davos between excavators and cranes, his job for many years after hanging his skis in 2005. Paul Accola never stops, a 53-year-old always very active, "hot" as an athlete in his statements and with an eye always turned to young people, thinking about the path he had to take to get to the top of world skiing. He has never been loved by the Italian people, after that incredible 1991/92 season in which he canceled Alberto Tomba's dream of lifting the general World Cup (which the Bolognese finally won three years later), signing a sensational record of points and getting all his seven victories in the top circuit in a few months, with a fearful consistency of performance. Daniel Leu from "Blick" joined him to reveal to the public the thoughts of the old "Pauli", busy working the land from morning to evening (after having tried a political career several times), but always attentive to the circus scene current white. "In reality, I never announced my retirement (matured after my exclusion from the Red Cross national team in spring 2005, ed) and, given that in 2019 in Wengen and Kitzbuehel I only saw five Swiss people at the starting gate, I would have liked to call the federation and ask to compete - stings underlining a very clear concept - In my time we were 20 athletes and 5 coaches, now the opposite. The main problem is the points needed for the World Cup, but how do you get there if they don't make you compete? This is why so many guys give up within 25 years, but the reality is that the FIS are interested in the 3-4 big players on the circuit, the rest doesn't count for them ”. One of the biggest disappointments of my career was the combined match of the Albertville 1992 Olympics, that of the incredible blue double with Polig and Martin: "I had won all three specialty races that season, the descent went well but the track from slalom was in disastrous conditions. That's why I showed my middle finger on arrival ”.

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