Of the eight Olympic-qualified men's cross-country skiers, only five remain. William Poromaa, Calle Halfvarsson and Gustaf Berglund are considered a given in Saturday's final 50-kilometer classic.
All that remains are Edvin Anger and Johan Häggström, and it is doubtful whether either of them wants to race.
"It feels a bit silly to challenge yourself with a 5 km and then go out and race for two hours," said Anger after Wednesday's sprint relay where he and Häggström came in tenth.
An unusual, but actually conceivable alternative could therefore be to call back one of those already sent home. Sprint specialist Anton Grahn is not available, but both Alvar Myhlback and Truls Gisselman could fill a Swedish 5 km team.
"It is entirely possible to fly someone down, but then it is the SOK (Swedish Olympic Committee) that ultimately decides, and above all the skiers who must decide whether it fits into their future plans," says men's coach Anders Högberg.
National team manager Anders Byström tells Aftonbladet that the issue has been raised in recent days.
"We've actually discussed it. We'll make a few calls and see if that happens. But we haven't gotten any further," Byström says.
Sweden will present the teams for the 5 km races - the men will race on Saturday, the women on Sunday - at 5 p.m. this afternoon.
