Finland Straps on the Skis

Inge Braten's success in coaching Sweden's cross-country ski teams to three golds at the Olympics (and numerous individual World Cup wins, including one each for Mathias Fredriksson and Anders Sodergren) has led Finland, the other Nordic nation with an underperforming cross-country program, to dip into the Norwegian coaching pool. Starting June 1, Magnar Dalen will be running the Finnish program, which has several good female skiers (including long-shot overall contender Virpi Kuitunen) but a dearth of elite-level men. Dalen ran the Swedish team from 1998-2002, during which span the Swede Per Elofsson won two World Cup overall titles.