Isn’t it time that Austrian officials began to consider sportsmanship instead of focusing on winning by whatever method?

In a childish fit of pique over what appeared to be a reasonable jury decision, Hans Pum, veteran alpine director of the powerful Austrian Ski Federation, publicly insulted and demeaned FIS Technical Director Jan Eric Hedstroem  at the team captain’s meeting following the men’s World Championship downhill.  Disparagingly calling Hedstroem a “good actor” and all but saying outright the TD was unfit for his duty, Pum added he would do all in his power to ensure Hedstroem, who is Swedish, was never selected to handle a big event again.

In my opinion, Pum’s insulting comments were unnecessary and uncalled for under any circumstances.

Unfortunately, the inappropriate statement continues what has been the Austrian métier of being belligerent; testing or bending every rule to gain any vestige of an advantage. Federation officials work hard to stack the odds in the nation’s favor at every step of the process of governance of alpine ski racing. Despite being the strongest alpine nation over the past decade, the term sportsmanship seems to be lost from the federation’s vocabulary and actions. 
Isn’t it time that Austrian officials began to consider sportsmanship instead of focusing on winning by whatever method?

In a childish fit of pique over what appeared to be a reasonable jury decision, Hans Pum, veteran alpine director of the powerful Austrian Ski Federation, publicly insulted and demeaned FIS Technical Director Jan Eric Hedstroem  at the team captain’s meeting following the men’s World Championship downhill.  Disparagingly calling Hedstroem a “good actor” and all but saying outright the TD was unfit for his duty, Pum added he would do all in his power to ensure Hedstroem, who is Swedish, was never selected to handle a big event again.

In my opinion, Pum’s insulting comments were unnecessary and uncalled for under any circumstances.

Unfortunately, the inappropriate statement continues what has been the Austrian métier of being belligerent; testing or bending every rule to gain any vestige of an advantage. Federation officials work hard to stack the odds in the nation’s favor at every step of the process of governance of alpine ski racing. Despite being the strongest alpine nation over the past decade, the term sportsmanship seems to be lost from the federation’s vocabulary and actions. 

In this instance, the issue raised by the Austrians concerned a protest and a request for a re-run for Michael Walchhofer during the men’s World Championship downhill.  During the course of the race a cloud rolled over the mid section of the Bellevarde track. Race director Gunther Hujara called for “Start-Stop” just prior to Walchhofer’s start. The call was overheard by an Austrian coach standing in Hujara’s vicinity but apparently was not heard by anyone else including the start referee who sent the Austrian racer, Walchhofer, off on the proper interval.

Since the Austrian coach heard the ‘Start Stop” he radioed to the bottom and the team asked the jury to give the tall Austrian skier a rerun. The request was granted and Walchhofer ran second to last, over a rougher course but in full sun. He improved his time, having been 12th in the first run, to ninth.

A post race review revealed what had occurred. At the same instant Hujara issued his start-stop call, a member of the jury further down the hill was reporting the current racer’s (Aksel Lund Svindal) progress on course. The radio call was standard protocol. The result was a squawk which was all that came over the air. In radio parlance, the term is called being “stepped on.” It explained why the starter never got the message.

As Hedstroem made clear, the jury had been correct in awarding the provisional rerun, but upon reviewing the radio traffic overlaid on the television feed, concluded Walchhofer’s original run should be counted. The Austrians, Pum and head coach Tony Giger, railed at the decision.

Okay, it is reasonable to protest a call, but Pum went beyond that when he took Hedstroem personally to task for a unanimous verdict (Hujara recused himself as it was his action which precipitated the controversy).  In the United States professional sports, Pum’s public outburst would have earned him a stiff fine. The National Football League would have docked him a minimum of $20,000 (€15,530) and probably more.  While fines, particularly in this case, seem justified, the FIS has no protocol for judging conduct like public attacks on officials. Now seems time to consider putting some behavioral protocols into effect.

Asking the international governing body to consider such action is woeful, but here is the world’s strongest alpine nation practicing an onerous policy to assure it continues to dominate the sport. If the Austrian alpine federation would concentrate on athletics and practice sportsmanship, perhaps the rest of the alpine world would not chortle and cheer under its collective breath when the Austrians fail to gain a podium spot.

Certainly there is pressure from Austrians to win at their national sport but this offers no excuse for their continual policy of meddling and bullying. The sport deserves better.

– G.B. Jr.