The Vålerenga duo Mathis Olimb (centre) and Martin Røymark (back) have announced their withdrawal from the ice hockey WC. For Olimb, his national team career is over. Photo: Lise Åserud / NTB
Of NTB | 30.04.2024 09:13:59
Sport: It reports nitten.no.
– I have given up on the national team. I will prioritize my children and Vålerenga. I wish them luck and all the best, writes Olimb in an SMS to the website.
He and Røymark are among Norway’s most meritorious players and have played in a number of championships. Røymark has 119 WC and Olympic matches, while Olimb has 118.
– We have discussed where they are in their careers, what their bodies are like, their energy and what we need. They have been so incredibly professional and in the end put the national team before themselves. I am extremely impressed with how they have handled this process, says national team manager Tobias Johansson to nitten.no.
Røymark says that he was initially WC-ready, but that he changed his mind at the weekend. The Vålerenga runner does not have 100 percent to give after a long club season.
– I was actually going to Riga (WC run-up) and was proud of it, but when I got my bearings, I realized that it has been a tough play-off with a lot of ice time, a long season plus some family reasons. Then I realized that it might be best if I didn’t join.
The squad for the warm-up games in Latvia was selected on Monday. Ken André Olimb was not there either. He recently suffered a blow to the shoulder in a match against Denmark, and the extent of the injury has not yet been determined.
Mats Zuccarello will not go to Riga either, but will join the Norway squad before the WC.
(© NTB)