PR: Burton's Official Response to Terje's Olympic Boycott
(January 8, 1998)

Let us hear it!: What do you think about Terje's decision?

The best snowboarder in the world, Norway's Terje Haakonsen, will boycott the 1998 Winter Olympic Games this February in Nagano, Japan. The two-time world champion cites corruption in the International Olympic Committee (I.O.C.).

Burton Snowboards, Haakonsen’s snowboarding equipment sponsor, is supporting his decision. According to David Schriber, Director of Marketing at Burton, "We've said from the beginning that we would support every rider’s personal decision. No rider I've spoken to in the past few weeks is 100% comfortable with the Olympic situation. But in the next few weeks, every eligible rider will have to make a difficult decision."

Terje. US Open 1997. Photo: Lee Crane

Haakonsen notified the Norway Olympic team coach on Tuesday that he is declining his slot on the Norway team. Terje has recently defeated practically every potential Olympic competitor in non-Olympic-related events, and is undefeated in the halfpipe for the season. Most notably, Terje defeated top U.S. riders Todd Richards and Ross Powers, as well as Norway's Daniel Franck. Both Richards and Franck have noted in recent interviews that a win in Nagano without Terje present would be a hollow victory.

The I.O.C. has been embroiled in controversy since it chose snowboarding to be a part of the 1998 Olympic Games. Many in the sport did not seek inclusion in the Olympics; in many riders' opinions, the Olympics sought them as a potential revenue-builder for the declining Winter Games.

The I.O.C.’s governing body for snowboarding competition is the Federation Internationale du Ski (F.I.S.), skiing's governing body. The F.I.S. is generally regarded in the sport of snowboarding as non-representative of the sport. Snowboarding’s own sanctioning body, the International Federation of Snowboarders (I.S.F.), had been long-established and respected, yet it was ignored by the I.O.C. when it appointed the F.I.S.

Most countries which will be sending a snowboarding team to Nagano have a national governing body which is a national affiliation of the F.I.S. Rules vary by country, but in most countries, there are national teams of snowboarders who train and travel together. As snowboarding is not a team sport, this clashes with the freedom of self-determination of most riders.

F.I.S. rules have forced riders to compete outside of their home countries, often for extended periods and at a great personal expense to the riders. This also defeats the career goals of those professional riders who seek to establish their name in their home nations; it is difficult for unknown riders to seek corporate sponsorships.

And every F.I.S. affiliate has sold the clothing sponsorships for snowboarding, thus forcing riders to wear a "uniform" once they make the team. Not only do the uniforms negate the individuality of the riders, but they are also in many cases not functional, for they are manufactured by companies which do not understand the technical clothing needs of a professional rider.

The Olympic Games, thus, will be a battle for second place in the eyes of the snowboarding world. That is, if more riders do not follow Haakonsen’s example. As for Terje, "He's managed his career very well so far," says Burton founder and snowboarding pioneer Jake Burton, "We have to believe Terje is doing the right thing."

Let us hear it!: What do you think about Terje's decision?

See Also: AP Reports Terje Boycotting Nagano?