It should have been peace and joy with the Norwegian brothers after a double victory in both the sprint and the pursuit start.

After the start of the hunt last Saturday, however, Tarjei Bö told us that both tested positive for Covid-19 BEFORE the race.

They felt okay and left.

However, they canceled Sunday's mixed relays and intended to go with the IBU's chartered plane from Nove Mesto to Östersund today, Monday, to get ready for the next stop in the World Cup.

- It is far inside the plane.

Our doctors say that on board an airplane is the safest place you can be, because the air is being exchanged all the time.

And we sit with mouthguards on airplanes, reasoned the Norwegian sports manager Per Arne Botnan for NRK.

Takes regular flights from Prague to Oslo

It was nothing that impressed activists from other nations and gave rise to violent criticism.

Even before the competition, the runner-up in the world cup, Sturla Holm Lägreid, had to drop out due to covid. 

German Benedikt Doll and Norwegian biathlon expert Ola Lunde thought it was an egotistical decision that put the competitors' health at risk. 

- It would not have been particularly fun to go on that plane.

I wouldn't have put myself on the same plan if they had covid, says Sebastian Samuelsson.

Now the Norwegian Biathlon Union has reversed the issue and is letting the Bö brothers travel home to Oslo via a regular flight from Prague.

The brothers feel fresh and have no symptoms.

They will stand over Thursday's distance over 20 km, Saturday's men's relay over 4x7.5 km and at the earliest be able to line up in Sunday's mass start over 15 km in Östersund.

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Johannes Thingnes Bö, in the middle of the picture, has tested positive for covid-19.

Photo: Bildbyrån