The leadership of the Swiss Nordic family is heading onto new paths.
For well over 20 years, Hippolyt Kempf has been a dedicated leader for the Nordic community in Switzerland. The 56 year-old former Nordic Combined athlete – and Olympic Champion in 1988 – held various positions during his time at Swiss Ski. From 2009, Hippolyt was the head of the Swiss Cross-Country team and led the Nordics through a very successful decade.
Under his watch, a new generation of athletes stepped up into the World Cup and various Nordic event organizers grew into being part of the top sporting leagues. Stages as Val Müstair and Lenzerheide were integrated into the FIS Tour de Ski and in 2018, Hippolyt played a pivotal part in coordinating the FIS Nordic Junior and U23 World Championships in Kandersteg and Goms.
Despite significant milestones, the successor of Hippolyt Kempf is no stranger to the Swiss-Team and has already proven to be a structured organizer herself. Guri Knotten (former Hetland) held the Swiss Cross-Country head coach position from 2010 to 2014. During this first engagement at Swiss-Ski, Dario Cologna won the overall World Cup and the Tour de Ski twice, gold in the 2013 Val di Fiemme World Championships in skiathlon and, to top it off, two Olympic gold medals at the Olympic Games in Sochi. For her achievements, Guri was awarded the “Swiss Coach of the Year” award in 2014.
The 47 year-old Norwegian, who was also the manager of Cross-Country skiing icon Marit Bjørgen for many years, is considered an excellent organizer who is well connected within the international Nordic skiing world. Among other things, she was the project manager for Trondheim’s successful candidacy for the Nordic World Championships in 2025.
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