On August 12, 2019, Sondre Turvoll Fossli's heart stopped during a drive outside Oslo.

Today, the 26-year-old lives with an operated pacemaker and now he is also a ski pensioner.

On Friday, the sprint specialist, though expected, announced that he had been advised by doctors not to continue cross-country skiing. That means the career is over.

- It's sad, because it was not just a job, but a lifestyle I had since I was a little boy, he tells Norwegian VG.

But the departure from the skiing team has not been painless. Sondre Turvoll Fossli has ended up in a legal dispute with the Norwegian Ski Federation.

In legal dispute

The severe cardiac arrest has also led to a financial concern for the Norwegian. This is because the union believes that cardiac arrest is not an occupational injury and therefore should not be covered by the insurance that goes into sports accident with loss of income, which Fossli considers to be entitled to.

Dispute with the Norwegian Association for cardiac arrest should be taken out by the insurance.

This has led the 26-year-old, who took a World Cup victory in his career (in Ruka 2015), has hired a lawyer. These costs have already gone away to around SEK 50,000.

- It has been a bit fast in the turns, but I had cardiac arrest and have to think about myself and the future. I have the right to do that. I had hoped that the ski association would have paid the lawyer myself to see what insurance they have. For me as an individual, 50,000 is a significant amount. As an elite athlete, I have learned to work hard. I will not give up. The most important thing for me is to be treated fairly.

The Norwegian Ski Association does not want to comment on the case for VG.