Speakers Corner | Rarities

Nicola Pozzi is an extraordinary person. After an athletic career, the highlight of which was a leading position in the World Cup relay round in Oberhof, he joined the coaching staff of the “Azzurri”. First in the junior and B teams, he was promoted to the A team due to his skills. And there he is, so to speak, the resting pole. He never gets loud, at most when he cheers on Doro and Co. again on the final lap, but otherwise he is a very withdrawn person. “It's not my style to shout cheers or celebrate with showers of champagne. My joy is internal, it fills me with a sense of well-being that I don't externalize. And through this I achieve a peace of mind that makes me happy,” says the tall, bearded man from Bormio. It is not without reason that Pozzi is the real philosopher in the national team.

I spot a Norwegian flag high up in the stands. And right next to it is the flag of the Sami, this indigenous people of Lapland who are now more proud than ever of their origins. My curiosity about minorities leads me to approach the Sámi representatives. They come from Vadso in the extreme north-east of Norway (“You can see Russia from our house”) and have come to Antholz to cheer on Norwegian biathletes. If they win, one of the seeds promises to sing a typical “Joik”.

Over the years you have met numerous fellow journalists in the media landscape. Many come and go, many more come to a World Cup and then disappear again. Only a handful are there again and again, and with some of them deeper friendships are formed, such as with the three East German newspaper reporters Marco Alles, Uwe Köster and Thomas Sprafke. It's always nice to exchange ideas with such nice and empathetic colleagues. We just haven't managed to have a glass of Lagrein together in the evening - also due to the fact that the trio lives in Niederdorf and would therefore have to drive afterwards...

Bad weather in Antholz is also a rarity. When a large part of the men's individual competition had already taken place, light snow fell and some strong gusts blew over the Südtirol Arena. Concerned, fellow speaker Stefan Steinacher asked whether this could possibly lead to a cancellation. As a fever brunner, the bronze medal of his compatriot Dominik Landertinger was a matter close to his heart. I reassured him and soon the snowfall subsided and “Landis” medal was dry. “Steini” was a huge stone that fell from his heart.

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Speakers Corner | Rarities

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