Anders Edholm at the Vancouver Winter Olympics | 2010 |
When Anders Edholm started the Ski University in 1987, it was really only intended for girls. In those days, boys could get in through the sports platoon, but girls were not allowed to do the military service and so were not given the same conditions.
– It’s like an amazing fairy tale that I never could have dreamed would come true when I first started the Ski University.
Anders Edholm was there during the Vancouver Winter Olympics when the Swedish national team in cross -skiing was so successful. And he had every reason to feel proud.
During the 90s, the activities were developed and on 11 September 2001, Anders and Bertil Karlsson from the Jämtland and Härjedalen Sports Federation travelled to Copenhagen to present some ideas to the renowned physiologist Bengt Saltin.
– On the television screens at the airport, we saw aeroplanes fly straight into the World Trade Center. I remember thinking how inappropriate it was to be showing a science fiction film with crashing aeroplanes at an airport, Anders recollects with a sense of unease.
The work on the Ski University picked up real momentum after the meeting in Copenhagen. In 2008, the Swedish Winter Sports Research Centre opened and since then, there have been plenty of opportunities to celebrate medals that have been won by Swedish cross-country skiers, for example during the Vancouver Winter Olympics, during which Anders was present.
– It felt absolutely wonderful to see the skiers do so well there. It proved that they had been able to prepare in the best way possible back home in Östersund. That was a big moment for me, says a delighted Anders.