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Bitter news for Austria’s Ski Association: A six-time world champion is turning her back on the ÖSV and joining another nation.
Loss for the Austrian Ski Association. Carina Edlinger, a six-time world champion and Paralympics gold medalist from 2022, is leaving the ÖSV and joining the Czech team.
As the reason for her decision, the cross-country skier and biathlete cited disappointment with Austria’s association.
Edlinger disappointed by Austria’s Ski Association
The visually impaired Edlinger is one of the best cross-country skiers and biathletes in her class in the world. At the Nordic Ski World Championships last March in Trondheim, Norway, she won gold in the cross-country sprint.
Despite many titles, the 26-year-old is now ending her ÖSV chapter. “A lot has happened in the last few years, the situation has not improved. The appreciation has become less and less. I have been thrown out of almost every funding program. Many people didn’t like the fact that I clearly represented my opinion,” she explained in the Krone interview about her reasons.
“The topic of inclusion is treated very stepmotherly in the Ski Association. If nobody stands up for you, you are on a lost track. I have always been treated badly. But I don’t want to be taken advantage of any longer.”
New Start in Czech Republic
In her new home, Edlinger has meanwhile been welcomed with open arms. She immediately got a guide with Petra Hyncicova, who was at the Olympics for the Czech Republic in 2018 and 2022. “I have been received great. For the first time in my life as an athlete, I don’t feel any headwind.”
At the ÖSV, meanwhile, people are irritated by the athlete’s decision. “I find it a bit puzzling. We have supported Carina for many years. She asked for the release, which the board accepted. We said goodbye to her on good terms,” said Hermann Mayrhuber, head of the para department in the Austrian Ski Association.