In the "shark basin": Björndalens Heikle Olympia

If it needs to be, Ole Dinar Björndalen also runs a half-marathon in the hotel room. Thus, during the three-week corona quarantine of the best biathletes of history in spring 2021 in China. For a training camp, the Norwegians and his wife Darla Domradschewa came to make progress in their delicate Olympia mission. They, too, had to isolate a long time like every entry, before they could continue their controversial construction work as a coaching team. On ten times ten meters a special challenge for the junkies.

• Language barrier and moderate success
• Amnesty International sees Björndalen as a kind of puppet

"Our goal is to develop the athletes as far as possible. If everything goes well, if we can get medals, that would be great," said Björndalen in an interview on the Olympia homepage. Precious metal is likely to remain a dream for the Chinese home games (4 to 20 February). Wide they are from the top and are likely to be good at the competitions in Zhangjiakou at most for a small side role.

When Björndalen (48) and the Belarus sin Comrades (35) in autumn 2019 took responsibility for the Chinese, was amazed in the scene. "You've got going into a shark basin. There you could have taken more than other teams," said ARD expert Data Wilhelm Young. But the most famous biathlon couple certainly decided not least because of the allegedly very princely remuneration for the powerful project in Asia.

Language barrier and moderate success

Successful biathlon couple: Darla Comrades and Ole Dinar Björndalen. Imago Images / SNA

Björndalen and Comrades, who are parents of daughter Xenia, bring it together to proud ten Olympic lives, 22 World Cup titles and seven overall world creatures. Hardly anyone knows better, how to prepare for a climax, shines and teach them everything. The "Cannibal" was called Björndalen prior to his resignation in the spring of 2018, because he simply always wanted to win, never satisfied and his opponents so turned.

All of this to convey their protégés is a task that is difficult to implement, such as head coach Björndalen and the Comrades responsible for women had to find. Only with several interpreters is the understanding with the athletes possible. Trained in recent years not only in China, but also in Björndalens Norwegian home or the Alps. With moderate success. Anyone who performs the entire World Cup list, who finds the 22-year-old Meaning Chu as the best woman in 60th place and in the men ranked 64 Farming Cheng. Just that, as twelfth in the Sprint of Oberon in the Olympic season, made the best result.

Amnesty International sees Björndalen as a kind of puppet

"Biathlon is a very unpredictable sport. One needs a high degree of confidence at the moment, but we both believe that it is possible to achieve good results," said Comrades, who retired as her husband in 2018. She was still in Pyongyang Olympic champion with the season, Björndalen was then part of the coaching team of Belarus because he could no longer qualify himself in the strong Norwegian team. For the eighth time one after the other, the 20-time world champion is now at Olympia. However, in a function that is critically seen in his Scandinavian home.

I focus on the athletes and do not talk about propaganda with some leader.

OLE Dinar Björndalen

"If you take an important office in a totalitarian state, you have to be aware of your decision. Our job is to tell how bad is the human rights situation in China," said John Peter Egenæs, the boss of Amnesty International Norway, the Newspaper "Vassal Gang". The former exceptionality is used only for the purpose of China, it says by Amnesty. Björndalen shows these allegations: "I concentrate on the athletes and do not talk about propaganda with some leader."

The human rights organization still sees Björndalen above all as a kind of puppet. "It may not be the greatest sport, but to get him into the team, means prestige, which creates a lot of reflection," said Egenæs. The record Olympic champion can not be used and declared his commitment quite friendly so: "Of course, we are happy to use the chance and help our favorite sport to develop worldwide, in countries where biathlon and all winter sports have a tremendous potential."