The national and international sports reports at a glance.
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The Swiss Ski Association, together with its Austrian, Croatian and German colleagues, has withdrawn the joint lawsuit against FIS President Johan Eliasch before the International Court of Arbitration for Sport, this became known on Saturday. The four national associations went before the CAS after the controversial re-election of the president of the World Ski Association last year. The British-Swedish businessman had no opponent at the Ski Congress in Milan. Eliasch received 100 percent of the votes cast, but not all delegates voted. The ski associations later described the election as a “farce”.
Diego Züger, co-managing director at Swiss-Ski, said to the Swiss agency Keystone-SDA: “Our step to withdraw the lawsuit was made in the interest of skiing”. However, the legal opinion of the four has changed. It has been recognized that “the current procedure overshadows and partially blocks the necessary coordination processes,” Züger said to Keystone-SDA. Discussions between the associations and the FIS are now to follow. (tzi/DPA)
On the second day of the Para-Snowboard World Championships in La Molina, Spain, Aron Fahrni and Romy Tschopp already won the first two medals for Switzerland. Fahrni and Tschopp each took silver in snowboard cross. In the LL2 category, Tschopp from Basel was only beaten by Lisa Bunschoten from Holland. Fahrni from Bern placed in the UL category behind Jacopo Luchini from Italy. In the LL1 category, Sandro Bohnet, who finished sixth, clearly missed out on another Swiss medal. (tsi)
Two beaming second: Aron Fahrni and Romy Tschopp 8r.) Present their World Cup medals.
Foto: Swiss Paralympic
The overall leader of the Tirreno-Adriatico, Primoz Roglic, also won the sixth and penultimate stage of the Tour of Italy. The Slovenian had previously won the fourth and fifth sections. In the sprint of a small breakaway group after 194 kilometers in Osimo, Roglic prevailed in front of Briton Tao Geogheghan and Joao Almeida from Portugal. Going into the final stage, where a sprint finish can be expected on Sunday, Roglic leads Almeida by 18 seconds and Geogheghan by 23. (tsi)
The Raw Air Tour, the Norwegian counterpart to the Four Hills Tournament in Germany and Austria, began on Saturday with the jumping at the Holmenkollen in Oslo. Victory at the start was secured by Slovenia’s Anze Lanisek (260.2 points) with best times in both rounds, ahead of Stefan Kraft (AUT/254.4) and Karl Geiger (GER/253.5). Gregor Deschwanden was the only Swiss to reach the second round and finished 18th, around 40 points behind Lanisek. Simon Ammann and Killian Peier missed the second round. Another competition on the large hill will take place in Oslo on Sunday. (tsi)
Tadej Pogacar has missed Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard and is about to win the traditional Paris-Nice long-distance race. The Slovenian also won the seventh stage over 142.9 kilometers up to the Col de la Couillole on Saturday and thus further extended his lead. Pogacar won two seconds ahead of Frenchman David Gaudu, six seconds behind his great Danish rival Vingegaard. It was Pogacar’s seventh win of the season.
The two-time Tour Champion now sits 12 seconds ahead of Gaudu and almost a minute ahead of Vingegaard in the overall standings. The tour ends on Sunday with the eighth and final stage around Nice. There are still five climbs to be mastered, but the last 20 kilometers lead down to Nice.
Exhausted but successful: Gino Mäder keeps up with the best in Paris-Nice.
Photo: AFP
Gino Mäder also showed a strong performance on the seventh stage and was sixth best Swiss at the Col de la Couillole, 28 seconds behind Pogacar. In the overall standings, the 26-year-old from Team Bahrain Victorious is still in an excellent fifth place, 1:01 minutes behind the podium. (DPA/tzi)
The Swiss quartet did not get going at the World Cup in Östersund, Sweden. Elisa Gasparin, Lena Häcki-Gross, Aita Gasparin and Amy Baserga had to settle for 8th place over 4×6 kilometers among 15 nations. With a total of ten spare rounds, they lost 2:41 minutes to Norway’s Juni Arnekleiv, Ida Lien, Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold and Marte Olsbu Röiesland, who won ahead of France and Germany. (kai)
Norway’s cross-country skiers around three-time world champion Simen Hegstad Krüger celebrated a spectacular tenfold success at their home game at Holmenkollen in Oslo. On Saturday, Krüger won the 50-kilometer race in the free technique ahead of Hans Christer Holund and Martin Loewstroem Nyenget. Places 4 to 10 also went to Norwegians, overall World Cup leader Johannes Klaebo was seventh. The best non-Norwegian was Andrew Musgrave from Great Britain, who also trains with the Scandinavians.
However, the world’s best athletes were not all at the start, and the Swiss were also absent from the field. This included only 36 runners because many did not want to compete over this distance again just six days after the classic 50 at the World Championships. (DPA/kai)
Kalle Koblet achieved the best Swiss result at the snowboard cross World Cup in Sierra Nevada. The 25-year-old Winterthur failed in the semifinals before finishing second in the small final – finishing 6th. Koblet was the only Swiss Ski representative in the knockout round. The Spaniard Lucas Eguibar secured the victory.
Lara Casanova was last in the women’s small final, finishing 8th in the competition. The 26-year-old from St. Gallen was also the only Swiss in the decision. British Charlotte Bankes was unbeatable. (kai)
On the night of Saturday only one NHL Swiss was in action: And Philipp Kuraschew had to go down again with Chicago. The Blackhawks lost 4-3 after overtime to the Florida Panthers, despite a 2-0 lead. It was their sixth loss in the last seven games. Kurashev received almost 20 minutes of ice time and ended the game with a minus 2 balance. (kai)
The British government continues to press for the exclusion of Russians and Belarusians from the Olympics. As the Ministry of Sport in London announced on Saturday night, department head Lucy Frazer wrote a letter to Olympic sponsors asking for support for this position. The letter went to the heads of Coca-Cola, Intel, Samsung and Visa in Great Britain, among others.
“We know that sport and politics are closely intertwined in Russia and Belarus, and we are resolute in our stance that these regimes should not be allowed to use sport for their propaganda purposes,” Frazer said in the letter. “Until our concerns and the significant lack of clarity and concrete details on a workable ‘neutrality’ model are addressed, we do not agree that Russian and Belarusian athletes are allowed to compete again.”
Wrote the letter to the sponsors: British Culture and Sport Minister Lucy Frazer.
Photo: AFP
A month ago, at Frazer’s invitation, sports politicians from 35 nations increased the pressure on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) by demanding that Russian and Belarusian athletes be excluded from the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Currently, Russia and Belarus are excluded from many international sports competitions.
However, the IOC is aiming for athletes from both countries to return to the international sports stage under neutral flags, provided they clearly commit to the Olympic Charter and do not actively support the war in Ukraine. IOC President Thomas Bach had said that an exclusion “because of a passport or place of birth” violated the ban on discrimination. (DPO)
Jil Teichmann (WTA 39) won the Swiss duel at the Masters 1000 tournament in Indian Wells against Belinda Bencic (WTA 9) 3: 6, 6: 3, 6: 3. Right at the beginning of the game, Teichmann had to give up her serve and conceded two more breaks in the first set. At the beginning of the 2nd movement, the image is reversed. Teichmann broke Bencic, which she later did again to win the set. In the decisive round, Teichmann made the service breakthrough to make it 3-1 before winning the game after two and a half hours. (bind)
Jil Teichmann retains the upper hand in the Swiss duel.
Foto: Mark J. Terrill (Keystone)
Wind gusts made things difficult for the drivers and organizers of the Tirreno-Adriatico and Paris-Nice tours. In Italy, the fifth stage had to be shortened by almost three kilometers, with wind speeds of 65 kilometers per hour at the finish in Fonte Lardina. Since the wind mainly came from the front, the expected attacks on the final climb didn’t materialize. Primoz Roglic took the lead in a large group a few meters from the finish and had the strongest sprint. After his second success, the Slovenian is first in the overall standings in a row.
Primoz Roglic on the way to winning the stage.
Photo: Gian Mattia D’Alberto (Keystone)
The sixth stage of the parallel WorldTour race Paris-Nice had to be canceled due to the storm on Friday. The section from Tourves to La Colle-sur-Loup had previously been shortened to 80 kilometers. But due to the gusts of wind, trees had fallen on the track, which meant that the safety of the drivers could no longer be guaranteed. The race continues on Saturday with the seventh stage from Nice to the Col de la Couillole. (DPA)
The former Czech ski jumper Antonin Hajek is dead. This was announced by the Czech Ski Association on Friday without giving any further details. Hajek had already been reported missing by his family in October 2022 and has not appeared since. «The former excellent ski jumper, Czech record holder and national coach Antonin Hajek has died. His life ended at the early age of 36,” the association said. Hajek is the national record holder for the Czechs with 236 meters and has jumped in the World Cup for years. (DPA)
After Samir Serhani, Anina Wildi is also out of the Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Antalya in mid-April. The 20-year-old from Aargau had to undergo a planned calf operation, and another operation on the left shoulder will be carried out shortly. This means that Wildi will be out for several weeks. Both injuries were initially treated conservatively, writes the Swiss Gymnastics Association. However, this did not lead to success.
In October of last year the ambitious Wildi was the only Swiss starter at the World Cup in Liverpool. (How)
She has had one operation, the second follows: Anina Wildi cannot take part in the European Championship n.
Photo: Keystone
An Olympic champion will support the organizing committee of the Ski World Championships 2027 in Crans-Montana: Didier Défago will take over the vacant position of CEO on May 1, 2023 and thus the operational management of the major event.
The 45-year-old comes from Valais and has been president of the Valais mountain ancestors since autumn 2020. “The great know-how in the region of the high plateau in terms of organizing major events, and my experience in sports should be used to make the 2027 World Championships a great ski festival,” he said in a statement Citing Swiss Ski.
Defago, who won gold in the downhill in Vancouver in 2010, worked for Rossignol in development for eight seasons and looked after the respective athletes in the European Cup. Most recently, he was also responsible for the construction of the new “Gran Becca” World Cup course at the foot of the Matterhorn on behalf of the FIS and – together with Bernhard Russi – the construction of the downhill course for the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing. (red)
Harri Säteri has extended his contract with EHC Biel by one season. The Finnish world champion and Olympic champion has been in goal for the Seeländer since this season. He was recently honored by the coaches and captains as the best goalie of the season at the Tamedia editorial team’s awards.
Säteri achieved a defense rate of 92.27 percent in 35 games and thus played a key role in his team’s soaring, which ended the qualification in second place.
This means that the Biels goalie duo is set for the coming season: In addition to the 33-year-old Säteri, the recovered Joren van Pottelberghe is also under contract until 2024. Veteran Simon Rytz, on the other hand, will end his career after the current season. (mob)
Goalkeeper Harri Saeteri will stay with EHC Biel for another season.
Photo: Keystone
For the first time ever, four Swiss were on duty in an NHL team on Friday night. Goalie Akira Schmid, defender Jonas Siegenthaler and forwards Nico Hischier and Timo Meier played key roles in the 3-2 win after the New Jersey Devils took a penalty against the Washington Capitals. Hischier prepared the 2:1 of his team, Meier was the only successful shooter in the penalty shootout. A total of seven players failed before him.
With Kevin Fiala and Denis Malgin, two Swiss players faced each other directly on this match day. Fiala won the duel against the Colorado Avalanche with his Los Angeles Kings 5:2 and came up with an assist, he prepared the 4:2 and is still the most successful Swiss scorer of the current season with 68 points from 66 games.
In the second Swiss duel of the evening, the Arizona Coyotes with Janis Moser won 4:1 against the Nashville Predators with Roman Josi. While Josi remained without a point, Moser provided the assist for the first goal of the evening. (mro)
After Stan Wawrinka had prevailed against Australian Aleksandar Vukic in the first round of Indian Wells, another Swiss failed on Friday night (CET): The tournament is already over for Marc-Andrea Hüsler, who lost from Zurich (ATP 51). against the Spaniard Pedro Martinez (ATP 120) 6: 7 (4: 7), 6: 3, 4: 6. Martinez now meets Canadian Félix Auger-Aliassime in the second round. With Wawrinka (in the second round against the Serb Miomir Kecmanovic) only one Swiss is represented in Indian Wells, in the first round Leandro Riedi had already failed. (mro)
Out in Indian Wells after the first round: Marc-Andrea Hüsler, here at the tournament in Basel.
Keystone
Stan Wawrinka (ATP 100) won his opening game at the Masters 1000 tournament in Indian Wells. The Romand defeated the Australian Aleksandar Vukic (ATP 186) with some difficulty 6: 4, 1: 6, 6: 1. Wawrinka’s next opponent is the American Mackenzie McDonald (ATP 53). Leandro Riedi (ATP 135), on the other hand, was eliminated. The 21-year-old from Zurich had no chance at 1: 6, 1: 6 against Jack Draper (ATP 56) from Great Britain. (bind)
Stan Wawrinka wins in the 1st round.
Foto: Mark J. Terrill (Keystone)
Michael Suter’s team lost for the first time in the third game of the 2024 European Championship qualifier. In Schaffhausen they suffered a 32:37 defeat against Hungary. The game was very balanced in the first half. After 30 minutes it was 19:20 from the Swiss point of view. Immediately after the break, Andy Schmid and his team-mates lost touch. The guests moved away in a few minutes. Switzerland was no longer able to make up for this deficit. On Sunday she gets the chance to make amends. Then the two nations meet in Hungary. (bind)
Didn’t have the best day like the rest of the Swiss: team leader Andy Schmid.
Photo: Claudio Thoma (Freshfocus)
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