Norway drops skier from cross-country sprint team

Norway drops skier from cross-country sprint team

SOCHI, Russia (AP) Norway's cross-country skiing team has solved its selection dilemma for the men's sprint at the Sochi Olympics by dropping a lesser-name skier to make room for two higher-profile athletes.

Coaches were in a bind after only leaving one open spot on the four-man team, with double Olympic champion Petter Northug and former sprint world champion Ola Vigen Hattestad vying for the fourth. But with Hattestad winning the last World Cup race before Sochi and Northug seen as one of the main favorites, team officials faced a storm of criticism at home this week for having promised three spots to skiers with lesser pedigrees.

The team announced Wednesday it had dropped Finn Haagen Krogh, leaving Eirik Brandsdal and Anders Gloeersen on the roster with Northug and Hattestad.