Armin Assinger Interview: Why He’s So Critical of Skiing and Who’s Getting Grumpy Now
Well, here we go. You know how it is: as soon as the ski season winds down a bit, things get properly grumpy in the Austrian sports cosmos. This time, though, they’ve landed on someone who’s practically part of the furniture. Armin Assinger. The former ski star and current ORF man has been really laying into things over the last few days. And when you take a closer look, you have to admit: he’s not wrong. But let’s call a spade a spade.
Word has it that Armin Assinger has been hitting out again. And honestly? He’s certainly one to polarise. But that’s exactly what makes him who he is. He didn’t hold back – and it wasn’t aimed at the athletes, but at the whole system. He’s saying that things are far from rosy in the Austrian Ski Federation, that funding doesn’t always go where it’s supposed to, and that the pressure on young racers has become almost inhuman.
When someone like Assinger, who’s been at the top and knows how the game works, speaks this clearly, it’s time to listen. What strikes me is this: he’s saying things that many behind the scenes have been thinking for years, but never dare to voice. You can pretty much sum it up like this:
- The obsession with wins has become unhealthy.
- Young talents are being burned out before they’ve even had a chance to mature.
- When someone drops out, the public criticism is often hurtful and completely out of proportion.
Of course, the dinosaurs will come crawling out of the woodwork now, saying: “Assinger should be grateful he’s got his job at ORF and keep his mouth shut.” But that’s the point! Precisely because he earned his laurels as a ski racer (yes, it was a few years ago now, but he wasn’t exactly slow in the downhill in ’78), he can afford to say these things. He has nothing left to prove. And it shows.
Things really get interesting when you connect this with the reaction to the Monika Gruber debate a few years back. That was also about strong words and the courage to be difficult. For Armin, that’s par for the course. He’s said himself that he’s someone who polarises. But it’s precisely those rough edges that are missing from today’s overly polished sports journalism. When he speaks, it has substance, even if it stings.
I was present for some of those conversations, and what strikes me is this: Armin isn’t a grump for the sake of it. He loves ski racing. But he loves it too much to look the other way when those in charge trample on the values that made the sport great. In the end, maybe that’s exactly what this is: a wake-up call. Will it be heard? Time will tell. But one thing’s for sure: with Armin Assinger, Austrian sport will never be boring. And that’s no bad thing.
As viewers, we can only hope the officials take his advice before the next generation of downhillers lose interest in hurling themselves down a mountain for a few thousand euro a month. Until then: Chapeau, Armin. Keep it up.