During the final Olympic races in Italy, the Swedish cross-country skiing team faced a significant issue as they were unable to fill all their spots, with only two out of four female skiers and three out of four male skiers starting due to illness and early departures for the World Cup. In response to this, Johannes Lukas, the head coach of Sweden's biathlon team, expressed that such a situation would have been avoided in biathlon, emphasizing the importance of having reserves. He stated that if they had a reserve on the list, that skier would have remained in contention to participate.

The issue stemmed from a combination of unforeseen sickness within the cross-country team and athletes choosing to leave earlier to focus on upcoming competitions, rather than prioritizing the Olympic events. This raises questions about the management and decision-making processes within the team, especially when it comes to balancing Olympic competitions against the overall competitive season.

Lukas's comments bring to light the differences in preparation and planning between cross-country skiing and biathlon. His remarks highlight the importance of maintaining a fully equipped team to avoid such last-minute chaos, suggesting a need for a review of current strategies in the cross-country skiing camp to prevent similar scenarios in future competitions.