This weekend there were national biathlon premieres in both Sweden and Norway - on artificial snow.

The Norwegians had their competitions in Sjusjön, thanks to a lot of snow shipped there.

Arne Idland, competition manager for Blinkfestivalen in Norway, suggests that the International Biathlon Union should include one or two competitions on roller skis in the World Cup.

- The winters are getting shorter and I don't think that either cross-country skiing or biathlon can survive with a three-month season, as it may be in the long run.

Then I think you have to think new and non-traditional and also use the summer, says Idland to NRK.

But SVT expert Björn Ferry does not like the proposal.

- I think that is a bad idea.

Norway is bad at organizing competitions, they have always been lax there.

An organizer who wants to have competitions must save snow from the previous winter.

Then you can definitely hold competitions when you want them, so it's more of a technical issue.

"An organizational mistake"

The organizer in Norway's Sjusjön transported 100 truckloads of artificial snow there to carry out the weekend's competitions.

What do you think about it?

- They have not saved snow in Sjusjön in the same way as they have done in Idre.

I would like to say that it is a mistake by the organizers.

After all, all facilities that want to have competitions early try to save snow from the previous winter, which is the safest way to arrange competitions.

What to do when it gets warmer?

Can you start the season later?

- You could do that and extend it on the edge of spring because then there is usually a more secure supply of snow, but then there will be competition with football and Formula 1 and everything else that starts, says Ferry.

"Stupidest suggestion I've heard"

Norwegian superstar Johannes Thingnes Bö is also critical of the proposal for roller skiing in the World Cup.

- That's the stupidest suggestion I've ever heard.

Those are completely different things.

It will be a bit like sprint and distance in cross-country skiing, there are different athletes who are good at different things, he tells NRK.

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Swenn Larsson: "You don't experience it anymore" Photo: Bildbyrån/SVT