ÖSV boss Stadlober can imagine indoor ski resorts in Austria

“It wasn’t a bad season, but it wasn’t what we wanted. Alpine sport is our flagship. Our goal is to win several victories and discipline rankings – i.e. balls,” said the ÖSV President before the weekend Sölden starting World Cup season to APA.Wien. Stadlober sees the framework conditions for success in place. In the women’s team, which was completely disappointing in some cases, there was another personnel change. With Roland Assinger replacing Thomas Trinker, a new head coach was installed and the president has a good feeling about him. “I think the new head coach has been well received, I’ve actually only heard good things. We’ve found a team structure again with the women,” said Stadlober.

“Give me an overview first”

When the situation between the athletes and the support team came to a head last year, Stadlober publicly sided with the athletes. It is foreign to her to interfere in sporting matters. “I only get involved when it’s necessary. And even then, I don’t get involved directly, but I first get an overview by talking to all parties,” explained the 60-year-old. “Where troubleshooting is necessary, yes, but I will never impose myself.”

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France’s World Cup was overshadowed by the lack of a gold medal. In addition, the best men and women in the disciplines did not come from the ÖSV for the second time in a row. Only once in the history of the World Cup since 1967 did the Austrian Ski Association remain without a big or small “crystal” for three seasons in a row (1980-1982). The slalom specialist Roswitha Steiner – better known today as Stadlober – prevented this from happening again in the late 1980s.

After a brief hesitation, Stadlober answered the question of whether the current sporting return is in line with the financial expenditure with “Yes. Because we also need the input that we give. If we were to make cuts, the framework conditions that our athletes and… Athletes need, suffer. It’s possible that the output isn’t always quite as hoped. But it will come back.”

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The age pyramid of the squad is upside down

While a large number of winning runners are missing, the ÖSV talents are also trying hard to show off on the World Cup stage. The age pyramid of the squad is upside down. In the 19-member elite “national team” squad, the average is 29.7 years, in the “A squad” below it is 28.1. Of these 43 athletes, only Lisa Grill (23) and Michelle Niederwieser (24) are younger than 25 years old; only the B squad nominees are similarly young and younger. According to Stadlober, this is also because athlete careers now last longer. “I ended my career at 25, which is when many people are just beginning.” This makes it all the more difficult for young runners to conquer starting places.

The widely praised Norwegians, for example, do not have exactly this problem. “They don’t have that many athletes in the number, they can easily fill their starting places with boys.” However, Stadlober generally believes that the Scandinavians’ approach to sport is desirable. “Norway as a nation has a completely different attitude to sport.” This is also reflected in the general conditions. “We don’t have a ski hall like Oslo, we only have a few floodlit pistes or cross-country ski trails where I can do sports in the evening after school.”

“Ski shed would be ideal for a big city”

According to Stadlober, indoor ski facilities should at least be discussed in Austria too. “A ski hall would be ideal for a big city in terms of promoting young talent. Why not in Vienna? Having the courage to go over there would certainly be welcome for the future,” said Stadlober. The fact that ski halls are considered energy guzzlers does not have to be an exclusion criterion. “Large energy institutions have a lot of waste heat, which you could use and you don’t have to invest so much energy yourself.”