With three-time Vasaloppet winner Oskar Svärd as Pro Team Director, Eksjöhus, a house building company, investing in a Pro Team based in Eksjö, Sweden.
The new team now aims for a Pro Team license, and the ambition is high – to become one of the world’s best Pro Teams.
“To be able to use my experience and be a part of this journey together with everyone in Team Eksjöhus feels fantastic,” says Oskar Svärd in a press release.
In Season XII, Eksjöhus will take over as the name sponsor, and Team Nordic Athlete will be Team Eksjöhus. The agreement extends to the 2025/26 season.
Oskar Svärd is one of Sweden’s best long distance skiers of all time. Svärd lives in Eksjö in the south of Sweden since 2016, when he ended his long career, which included three victories in Vasaloppet and Jizerská 50 and one victory in Marcialonga.
Now Svärd wants to use his experience and his local roots to build Team Eksjöhus. The goal is top placements in the Pro Tour.
“I did my first Vasaloppet in 1999, and skiing is still a big part of my life. I love long distance skiing, and I know what it takes to perform at a high level. Eksjöhus has a great interest in sports and shares my view on the importance of a long-term investment to achieve good results. To be able to use my experience and be a part of this journey together with everyone in Team Eksjöhus feels fantastic,” says Oskar Svärd.
“The sports tradition and the local roots are strong within Eksjöhus. Security, a sense of belonging, and a long-term perspective for both staff and partners are important parts of our success. To be able to build a world-class team together with an expert and Eksjö resident as Oskar Svärd feels exciting. As with everything we do, the long-term perspective is essential, which is why we have signed a five-year agreement,” says Frida Scherdén, CEO Eksjöhus.
Espen Träldal, formerly Sports Manager in Team Nordic Athlete, will continue in the same role when Eksjöhus joins as a new name sponsor.
“In Eksjöhus, we met incredibly committed people with a big heart for sports, health and stability. So we are very happy and proud too, together with Eksjöhus, get the chance to become a leading Pro Team in Visma Ski Classics,” says Espen Träldal.
The team will now apply for a license in Visma Ski Classics as a Swedish-registered team. Team Nordic Athlete was a Finnish registered team that was a continuation of Team Mäenpää. In Finland, Ski Team Mäenpää working on getting a new main sponsor. It’s Mäenpää who has the license for a place in Visma Ski Classics after the past season.
Team Eksjöhus will consist of skiers from different countries and also has the goal of supporting local talents. Athletes will be presented in the near future. However, a not too daring guess is that skiers such as Morten Eide Pedersen, Linn Sömskar, and Hedda Bångman, who represented Team Nordic Athlete during Season XI, are some of them. It will be interesting to see which additional athletes will be presented.
