This coming weekend is the world cup premiere in Ruka and Sweden sends a total of 13 skiers, eight ladies and five men.
One who gets the chance is first-year senior William Poromaa.
The 19-year-old talent impressed in Bruksvallarna when he won the men's 15 kilometer freestyle yesterday.
- Absolutely incomparable.
I have felt so damn strong and it means so much to be able to show what you stand for.
So damn nice, he told SVT yesterday.
However, Calle Halfvarsson and Jens Burman are missing.
- Calle and Jens have together with the coaching team analyzed the situation and for both, the World Cup is the most important this season.
At the moment, with injuries to Jens and training for Calle, the wisest decision is judged to be that they will not compete next weekend, says national team manager Anders Byström in a press release.
On the women's side, Charlotte Kalla is missing, who tested positive for the coronavirus in mid-November.
On the other hand, names like Frida Karlsson, Ebba Andersson and Maja Dahlqvist are included.
Last year, Sweden sent 18 skiers, ten ladies and eight men, to the World Cup premiere in Ruka.
Due to the pandemic, the national team has sent fewer skiers this year.
- We want to take our responsibility in the pandemic and have on the advice of our medical team decided to travel with fewer active people, fewer leaders and fewer numbers in the service staff than normal.
It is a difficult situation, but we are happy that thanks to measures to reduce the risk of infection, we can still line up with a strong team in Ruka, says Byström.
Norway, on the other hand, will send a full squad to Ruka.