The 2022 Olympic cross-country champion, Erik Valnes of Norway, fell ill before the start of the 2026 Games.
On Thursday, February 6, the head coach of the Norwegian cross-country ski team, Arild Monsen, presented the team's squad for the team sprint. It included Johannes Klebo, Harald Østberg Amundsen, and Oscar Vike.
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Another representative of the Norwegian team was supposed to be the 2022 Olympic champion Erik Valnes, but the 29-year-old athlete was not at the press conference before the start of the 2026 Games.
The reason for Valnes' absence from the press conference was illness. The Olympic champion in the team sprint is registered to compete in this event at the 2026 Games, but may miss the competition due to illness.
“This is something we were hoping to avoid. We took very serious precautions, but we can never prevent it 100%. It's a shame, I feel sorry for him,” Monsen said.
Valnes has not yet arrived at the Olympic village, having isolated himself to recover before the start of the 2026 Games. It has also been announced that Emil Iversen will miss the start of the competition, having caught a cold before the start of the 2026 Games.
The men's cross-country skiing competition will begin on Sunday, February 8, when skiathlon athletes will take to the start line.
Eric Valnes: what is known about the athlete?
- 29-year-old Norwegian skier. He made his World Cup debut in December 2017.
- Olympic champion as part of the team in the 2022 team sprint, as well as a three-time world champion: in the 2021 and 2025 team sprint and the 2025 relay.
- In the 2023/24 and 2024/25 seasons, he took third place in the overall World Cup standings. He also took second place in the World Cup sprint standings.