Roswitha Stadlober

ÖSV boss: “We have offered Hirscher a lot”

Ski superstar Marcel Hirscher is set to make his sensational competition comeback - not for Austria, however, but for the Netherlands. ÖSV President Roswitha Stadlober revealed the first details of the talks on Wednesday evening. 

"We offered him a lot," Stadlober said in the ORF TV interview. "Of course we wanted to keep him. But you also have to respect the fact that he wants to compete for Holland and it's probably the case that he can better live out this individuality that he wants to live out in the Dutch Ski Association."

Marcel Hirscher(Bild: APA/AFP/JOE KLAMAR)

The ÖSV boss denied rumors that a start for Austria had failed due to the ski. Hirscher would have had to wear ÖSV clothing. "But I don't think that would have been the reason."

Will Hirscher be able to compete at the front again? "That's the big unknown, but knowing Marcel, and he's ambitious enough, he'll be up for it. He's perfectly prepared and it can happen faster than we might all think and he'll be at the start of the World Ski Championships in Saalbach. I wish him all the best."

Marko Pfeifer(Bild: GEPA pictures)

World top again soon?
ÖSV men's head coach Marko Pfeifer is confident that Hirscher will regain a foothold at the top of the world. "You just have to make sure you get to the top of the rankings as quickly as possible in order to be competitive in the World Cup. That can happen very quickly," said the Carinthian. Especially in slalom, there are some skiers who have achieved great success even at an advanced age - for example Mario Matt or Andre Myhrer.