In front of the WC cross-country skiing tracks in Planica, attentive TV viewers may have noticed that all the athletes lining up for the start sign their signatures on the platen of glass with a felt-tip pen before they start.
This was also true before Simen Hegstad Krüger took a new WC gold in the 15 kilometer and won it over Harald Østberg Amundsen and Hans Christer Holund.
Advertiser: Peter Northug, TV 2 expert, doesn’t like the organizer removing athletes’ signatures. Photo: Ingrid Wollberg/TV 2
But after all the athletes have started, the organizer takes out all the personal signatures of those who started. TV 2 himself testified that the representative of the organizer in Planica had wiped all the signatures on the plate glass with a cloth after Tuesday’s race, in order to be ready for the next competition.
The reason why the athletes write their names on the glass board before the start is basically the so-called “television and photo shoot”.
However, TV 2 expert Petter Northug believes it’s time to break the hold of television, and that athletes don’t have to see their precious signatures on the glass board erased.
– It’s complete trash. I don’t know exactly why signatures are erased, but maybe it’s just something they do for camera and TV broadcasts, Northog tells TV2.
Ready for the wash: Markus Gucci, responsible for the signature glass wall, preps Planica’s autograph wall for the wash. Image: Sturla Johannessen, TV 2.
– If I had known about this during my active career, I would not have written my name on such a board, he says.
The organizer confirms: – We only have one glass pane
Race director Doris Kallen told FIS TV2 that the glass walls are usually taken care of, but could not answer why this was not done during Planica’s lavatory.
Marcos Gucci is responsible for the glass walls with signatures for the Planica restroom organizer. He says the reason the organizer washes the signatures after each toilet race is simple.
Getting Broken: The plate glass that all athletes sign on gets washed after every race because they only have one way to go. Planica Ski Toilet Photo: Jonas Been Henriksen / TV 2
– Yes, we usually wash it away. We only have one glass wall and we need it every day, so we washed the glass and used the same wall again, the Austrian told TV2.
– But is it different from other tournaments and practices in the World Cup?
– But we only have a glass wall. That’s why we wash them every day after the gutters so they’re ready for a new day. He answers: We don’t hang them as souvenirs, or think we can make money from them.
Consider Holland
Bronze medal winner Hans-Christer Holland admits he feels a little anxious when he hears about the autographs athletes are signing before WC races are wiped out at Planica.
– I never thought about what happened with autographs, but maybe it’s primarily for television. However, we should have written it on the appropriate board and taken care of it. It could be something that can be donated or used for something useful. He thinks there are many well-known names on the board here in the restroom.
Roth believes that the signatures in the restroom have survived
Fellow Sjur Røthe is surprised that Planica’s WC organizer has chosen to use the same glass wall again, laundering precious autographs from country circus stars.
Helnorsk Balladur: Semin Hegstad-Kruger won ahead of Harald Ostberg Amundsen (TV) (No. 2) and Hans-Christer Holland (No. 3) in the men’s 15km freestyle during the 2023 Ski World Cup in Planica. , Slovenia. Photo: Heiko Jung/NTB Photo: Heiko Jung
– Maybe they were washed away because I forgot to sign before the race. Then there was no point in saving on the rest, Roth answers and smiles, before getting more serious:
– but I have to admit I thought they were saved for later. There’s probably a reason athletes have to sign autographs before starting. He warns that it might be some kind of TV stunt.
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