At 5 pm on Thursday afternoon, Sweden would have presented its teams for the two final Olympic 50-kilometre races, the men running on Saturday and the women on Sunday.
But at short notice, the cross-country team chose to postpone the presentation by one day.
"The team is not quite ready to be presented yet, as there is some uncertainty around some active athletes. A little more time is simply needed," says Astri Lindbäck, press officer for the Swedish national cross-country team, in a statement.
Three givens
Of the eight Olympic-qualified men's cross-country skiers, only five remain in Val di Fiemme. William Poromaa, Calle Halfvarsson and Gustaf Berglund are considered a given in Saturday's final 50-kilometre classic.
Also in contention are Edvin Anger and Johan Häggström, and it is doubtful whether either of them will want to race.
"It feels a bit silly to challenge yourself with a 50 km and go out and ski 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 who have already been sent home. Sprint specialist Anton Grahn is not available, but both Alvar Myhlback and Truls Gisselman could fill a Swedish 50 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 whether it fits into their future plans," says men's coach Anders Högberg.
“Not relevant”
Gisselman started the Olympics with an impressive seventh place in the skiathlon, his best performance of his career, but then fell ill and went home. It is unclear whether he will be back in shape to compete this weekend. A classic 50 km should normally also suit a long-distance specialist like Alvar Myhlback.
But Anton Järnberg, team manager for Myhlback's team Lager 157, dismisses the chances of Myhlback returning to the 50-kilometre race.
"No, it is not an option for Alvar to compete in the 50-kilometre race. The focus is fully on Vasaloppet next week and we don't want to risk anything before that," he tells SVT .
"It has been the focus all along that Alvar should concentrate on Vasaloppet and Ski Classic going forward."
