Great guesswork

Entire ski team suddenly disappears

Viktoriya Olekh and Co. suddenly disappeared.(Bild: AFP/JENS SCHLUETER)

Great mystery at the Tour de Ski: Where is the Ukrainian team? At the last start in Dobbiaco, the Ukrainians simply disappeared.

Michael Lamplot, race director of the International Ski Federation (FIS), is very puzzled. "I have no idea where they went. They just didn't show up at the start. Sometimes some teams forget to notify us. I don't know what the reason was this time," says Lamplot to the Swedish newspaper "Expressen". There is "no rule that says you have to let us know. But on a day like this with the pursuit, it would have been good for us if the starting order was special."

World Cup coordinator Doris Kallen is also surprised: "To be honest, I have no idea where they are." FIS press spokeswoman Synne Dyrhaug simply said: "I don't know what happened."

Big time deficit
One possible reason for the sudden absence could have been the large time deficit. Neither Viktoriya Olekh, Anastasiia Nikon and Sofiia Shkatula in the women's race nor Andriy Dotsenko and Denys Muhotinov in the men's race were in the top field. The Tour de Ski continues in Val di Fiemme on Friday - without the Ukrainian team.