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Athletes Voice Criticism
After the 2024–25 World Championships, several female racers, most notably super-G world champion Stephanie Venier, who has since retired, criticized women’s head coach Roland Assinger in the media. They said his guidelines were hard to understand and no longer up to date. They also described communication as one-sided and accused him of creating an intimidating environment.
Despite the criticism, the Austrian Ski Federation (ÖSV) confirmed in April that Assinger would remain in charge of the women’s team through the 2025–26 Olympic season. In an August 19 interview with the Salzburger Nachrichten, Assinger spoke publicly about the controversy for the first time.
Assinger Responds
Asked if a foundation of trust could have existed had Venier continued her career, Assinger said, “It would have been a challenge, but anything is doable.” He admitted the criticism of his personality and work practices hit him hard. “But not just me, but also my entire family,” he said. He described the media coverage as “tough stuff.”
Resignation Considered
Assinger acknowledged that he thought about stepping down. “There were certainly moments when I asked myself: ‘Why are you doing this to yourself?’ Always with the background that I do this job with complete passion,” he said. “Ultimately, at the same time, I also received encouragement from many athletes. That’s when a conflict arose.”
While Venier, Chiara Mair, and the Salzgeber sisters raised concerns, Cornelia Hütter and Nicole Schmidhofer voiced support for Assinger. In the end, the ÖSV chose to back his leadership.
Surprised by Venier
Assinger said Venier’s criticism shocked him. “I accompanied her for a very long time, and in my opinion, we always had a good relationship. To then play it out like this through the media was a surprise,” he said.
He also pointed to the importance of team rules. “There needs to be certain rules, because if everyone does what they want, things get out of hand. One of her criticisms was that the family wasn’t allowed into the hotel for coffee. We had created a retreat for precisely these things in the hotel across the street, where the gentlemen were staying.”
Communication Challenges
Athletes also faulted Assinger’s tone and style of communication. “Yes, misunderstandings arose between us. On both sides. I’ve learned from them,” he said. “In hindsight, you’re always wiser, and therefore I would do some things differently now. I definitely see a need for action to improve communication between coaches, athletes, and service staff. Because of this, I’ve called a meeting to precisely improve communication, trust, and collaboration.”
Changing Times
Assinger admitted that the sport has changed since his own career as a racer. “People are more questioning things. When I was racing, from 1995 to 2003, I just did exactly what the coach said. Without giving it much thought. Now, the questions always come up about why we do things the way we do them. And the way of communication has changed. You have to think twice about what you say and how you say it. The coach is certainly challenged differently than 20 years ago.”
He added that recent events underscored the need to better understand how men and women think. “Statements are often perceived very differently,” Assinger said.
About the Author: Peter Gerber Plech
