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Ruka (dpa) - While Markus Eisenbichler was delighted with loud cheers about his next podium place in Ruka's winter wonderland, one of his biggest competitors was at home on the sofa.
After a positive corona test, Austria's top ski jumper Stefan Kraft was doomed to watch.
Even at the beginning of the World Cup winter, the sporting effects of the virus are showing with full force.
The failure of the entire Austrian A team for the competitions in Finland and for the coming weekend in Russia raises questions - especially since the pandemic is also throwing athletes back in other winter sports.
How fair are the competitions when entire teams are always missing?
And how long is the World Cup going well?
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In addition to the Austrians, none of the Czechs were there for the ski jumpers on Sunday due to the corona.
Among the biathletes, the Thuringian Philipp Horn had to leave Kontiolahti after an indifferent finding from the season opener.
In addition, athletes and team members from Russia, France, Italy, Poland, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Latvia, Romania and Moldova were affected by Corona - in some cases with quarantine and canceled competitions.
In order to keep the effects of positive tests on the rankings as low as possible, the Biathlon World Federation has adjusted the rules this year: Instead of two, the athletes can now remove four races from the ranking at the end of the season.
There are no such cancellation results in ski jumping.
Especially in this sport, in which only a few nations decide the air shows among themselves, failures of entire teams have a particularly strong effect.
If the best jumpers from a strong ski jumping country are missing, this can perhaps still be tolerated in competition.
If other top nations were affected, the competition could quickly turn into a farce.
On the other hand, the strict procedure of going into quarantine with the entire team after individual cases at least reduces the risk of infecting the entire starting field and thus paralyzing the World Cup circus in one fell swoop.
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Collective quarantine measures recently sparked discussions among alpine skiers.
The fear of it concerns some athletes - especially after the recent events in Levi.
There the Swedish women's team was excluded and isolated because a trainer tested positive and although the athletes sometimes gave up to four negative samples.
"This is not fair play," complained Anna Swenn-Larsson, who was affected, who is missing the two slaloms in Finland in the fight for the World Cup ranking and good starting positions in the other races.
The French top driver Alexis Pinturault described the prospect of such corona consequences as "worrying".
The athletes complain about the lack of clarity.
Corona cases are not always treated the same way.
Before the last parallel races in Vorarlberg, the Austrian Marco Schwarz and his compatriot Chiara Mair tested positive and signed off for the home races.
At least at Schwarz, it was said that he got infected privately and had no contact with teammates and coaches.
The other Austrian athletes were then allowed to compete in Lech / Zürs.
The ski jumpers hold back with critical statements.
"It hurts a lot to watch your colleagues on TV, but health comes first," said Kraft via Instagram.
The 27-year-old hopes to be back at the Ski Flying World Championships in Slovenia from December 10th.
It is already extremely difficult to defend the title in the overall World Cup.
With a win and a second place, Eisenbichler collected another 180 points for the fulfillment of his “childhood dream”.
The Bavarian already has a total of 280 points.
With zero points, however, Kraft does not even appear in the list.
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© dpa-infocom, dpa: 201130-99-517465 / 2
Information about ski jumping
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Stand in the overall World Cup
Data on Markus Eisenbichler
Live result from Saturday
Live result from Sunday
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