Team world champion Sophie Sorschag no longer started for Austria
In 2021 Sophie Sorschag became team world champion in Oberstdorf and also took part in the Olympics in 2022. The Carinthian will no longer compete for the ÖSV in the future. She seeks nun for a new nation.
At the beginning of February 2022, Sophie Sorschag came to her supposed happiness at such short notice as she had unexpectedly. After the corona infections of Sara Marita Kramer and Jacqueline Seifriedsberger, the ski jumper traveled to the Olympic Games in Beijing alongside Lisa Eder as the second substitute of the Austrian Ski Association (ÖSV). There, however, she became a tragic figure: she was disqualified due to the sponsor stickers not being pasted over in accordance with the rules. Back then, nobody could have guessed that this would be her last competition as an ÖSV jumper.
A lot has happened in the meantime. Just one week after her unfortunate Olympic debut, Sorschag’s season was over again. In a serious fall while training for the Continental Cup in Brotterode, she tore her cruciate and collateral ligaments and also suffered a meniscus injury. Instead of a realistic COC overall victory, the Carinthian had to rehab and work for the comeback. In this case, however, she will no longer compete for the ÖSV, as she told the ‘Krone-Zeitung’ on November 8th.
ÖSV contradicts Sorschag’s representation
“Unfortunately, the door is closed in Austria. On April 27, I was expelled from the association totally unprepared. Because of this and because I want to continue practicing my beloved sport, I had to apply for a change of nationality,” said the 23-year-old. In October, rumors of a change of nations began to surface after the Estonian portal ‘Ohtulet’ reported that Sorschag was on his way to Estonia. At the time, there was still a lack of clarity about the reasons.
The ÖSV contradicted Sorschag’s version in the person of sports director Mario Stecher: “It’s a shame for us because we wanted to keep them. But Sorschag himself submitted the application for a change of nations to the presidential conference in June.” A month earlier, namely on May 11, the association had published its squad lists and the team world champion of 2021 still listed there in the A squad. This PDF file was replaced in the meantime, this time her name is missing.
It is no longer possible to start this season
At the said presidential conference, the ÖSV had already given the go-ahead for the change of nations, which Sorschag is now working on. With a total of three top ten placements and a seventh place in Titisee-Neustadt at the end of January 2021, the ski jumper had more potential than just hinted at and therefore also has options with other associations. “There are several nations, hopefully we can conclude this soon,” she said of the status quo.
The current season, including the Nordic World Ski Championships in Planica and the first ski flying competition for women, is reported to Sorschag due to FIS regulations. “Every change of nation has to be reported to us by the end of May, otherwise you have to sit out this season. In addition, the person concerned must have held the new citizenship for at least six months”, FIS Secretary General Michel Vion made it clear at the Forum Nordicum at the end of September when he was asked about a possible change of nationality by Russian athletes.