The Lidingö race, Stockholm marathon and Tiomila are examples of major exercise events that have been canceled this autumn due to the corona pandemic. The organizers of major competitions are in a nightmare.

The industry is in crisis and no one knows what will happen. And now the uncertainty is spreading within the Vasaloppet.

Winter's Vasaloppet Week could be carried out with an emergency call, just a week before the coronavirus shut down society. But with about ten million kronor in extra costs due to the lack of snow and greatly reduced number of participants.

Vasaloppet's summer week, which has a turnover of around 30 million, has already been canceled.

There is now concern about Vasaloppet's winter week 2021, which usually attracts around 60,000 skiers.

- We have just sat down to make a careful analysis of how we can carry out the races. We have embryos of ideas to look at. The problem is that no one knows what will happen to the corona this winter, says Johan Eriksson.

The Vasaloppet management realizes that a mass start with 16,000 skiers at Berga village in Sälen is as far from social distancing as you can get. Therefore, they are now looking at different options for the race. It is from a Vasaloppet with only elite skiers to interval start.

- Yes, these are two of many options. This work has just begun. We will build a plan for all scenarios, says Johan Eriksson.

An alternative is to set completely.

- In October, we should be able to send a signal where this is going and inform more how we think about the winter week. At the turn of the year, we should come up with a message.

Why is an early message important?

- It is about planning to receive many participants. We have long lead times when it comes to logistics, buses and the like. Therefore, we must have long foresight. Then we have respect for the participants who must get a chance to plan their training, says Johan Eriksson.

A canceled Vasaloppet week 2021 would be the culmination of an economic nightmare year for the Vasaloppet organization.

- It would be extremely tough financially. At present, it is not even tangible. This is already an incredibly strained situation compared to what we have planned, says Johan Eriksson and continues:

- At the same time, we who work with Vasaloppet are people with a habit of not giving up. We have already shown this in the war against the lack of snow. Now we are fighting on to find a solution with this. Not least for our participants to have something to look forward to in their training and exercising, but corona is a tough opponent.

CLIP: The sensation: Björgen makes a comeback in the Vasaloppet

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