Marit Bjørgen follows the World Cup competitions at home in Norway.

She is an expert commentator on Norwegian TV 2 and is also preparing for Sunday's Vasalopp.

The Swedish ladies' relay failure came unexpectedly, but otherwise it went as expected.

Norway and Sweden have taken eight out of nine gold.

- I am concerned about cross-country skiing internationally.

It is very important that we get more nations from Central Europe and the rest of the world.

It is not good if the interest is only in Norway, Sweden and Russia.

There must be interest from more nations, not least when it comes to arranging ski competitions, says Marit Bjørgen to TT.

Six nations took medals

She says that her concern for the future of the sport has intensified recently.

- Yes, that's it.

The less snow it has become, the more difficult it is with the recruitment.

Marit Bjørgen tells how happy she was when six nations took the various medals in the men's and women's team sprint.

But she believes that there is a lot that needs to be done to raise international interest in cross-country skiing.

The key word is transparency:

- Nations such as Norway and Sweden must share their experiences with other nations.

Here we can certainly become even better at inviting other nations so they can take part in our training and knowledge, says Marit Björgen.

"Open to all"

She mentions initiatives from Norway which, among other things, are about open junior gatherings for skiers from other nations, as well as coaching seminars for coaches from other countries.

TT: What can you yourself contribute to that work?

- Among other things, I have been open with my training.

All my training, as I have done over the years, is documented and open to anyone interested.

Doctoral dissertation

She refers to the doctoral dissertation that Guri Strøm Solli has done when it comes to Marit Bjørgen's training over the years.

There is a lot of knowledge and experience about how to become one of the world's best skiers of all time.

- There had been a lot of interest in this.

It gives a good training insight.

But the key to elevating cross-country skiing for the future is openness.

If we are to preserve the sport, we in Norway and Sweden must be more open.