Paris 2024 Olympics: Jacob Buttercup with scathing criticism: – Too arrogant

Olympic wrecker Jacob Butera, 28, has taken aim at both the Athletics Federation and Olympiatoppen in a new Facebook post.

Sunday, July 7 at 22:53

Butera continues his criticism of Olympiatoppen and chief sports director Tore Ovrebo and at the same time believes that the Norwegian Athletics Federation is not helping him in the fight against Olympiatoppen.

VG sent the criticism to NFIF sporting director Erlend Slokvik and Tore Øvrebø. You will find their answers below.

Butera failed to meet the Olympic requirement of 8.15 in the 3,000m steeplechase. However, he believes he will qualify based on the new rankings released on Sunday as No. 35 out of 36 athletes, after excluding athletes who will not be competing at the Games for various reasons.

36 men will cover the distance in Paris.

• Those selected for the Olympics must show “a documented potential to be able to reach the top 12,” said Tore Øvrebø. We will see you He also spoke about “athletes who are entirely in the border countries in order to benefit from participating in the Olympics, as we understand the Olympics here in Norway.”

“…the comments from Øvrebø to NRK… I think they clearly show a basic lack of respect for the performers and people in general,” Jakob Butera wrote on Facebook.

• When asked Øvrebø We will see you If he thought any of the athletes were disappointed, he replied, among other things: “If they are disappointed because they did not achieve the development they wanted, I have a lot of sympathy for that.” It also causes Butera to react:

“In my opinion, this is a very condescending way to talk about athletes who have worked hard and have already achieved the international standards to participate on the biggest stage ever.”

Øvrebø answers VG as follows when asked if he wanted to comment on Butera's accusations on Sunday:

– I have referred on several occasions to the mandate of Olympiatoppen and the main criteria for selection to the Olympic Games. I have also said that I do not comment on individual draws. You have nothing more to add than this, Øvrebø writes in a text message.

Jacob Butera also expressed his disappointment that the IAAF “does not want to stand up for its athletes who are suffering injustice.”

“I was also disappointed that no one at the NFIF wanted to help me in this process to establish a dialogue with Olympiatoppen. What makes it disappointing is that they themselves said they thought I was being discriminated against, and that the top 12 requirement was not used consistently in selection.”

“That's why it became a battle that I had to fight against Olympiatoppen alone, and therefore it also became a battle that I could never win all the time and no one from Olympiatoppen wanted to discuss it with me,” he continues.

Sporting director Erlend Slokovic responds to VG's criticism in writing:

– For the Olympics, it is the Olympiatoppen that makes the final selection. The federation submits to the Olympiatoppen, which makes the final decision. They base their selection on the real possibility of reaching the top 12.

About the ranking list, Slokvik wrote:

– We sent out a list of relevant names on June 30. It contained everyone who had met the requirements by date, as well as those who were in the ranking. In addition, we prepared those who could enter the ranking when we received the updated lists. After dialogue with Olympiatoppen regarding their request for access to the top 12, the NFF cancelled those who were in the ranking when the list appeared on July 2, as the selection was scheduled for July 3.

About the communication with Olympiatoppen, Erlend Slokovic wrote:

– We have been in close dialogue with OLT about which athletes to select, and the selection is made according to the criteria adopted by the Board of Directors before the season. The Olympiatoppen team has the final say when it comes to selection for the Olympics, and therefore should be responsible for the final selection.

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