In brief

• Germany's ski federation asked Austrian coach Andreas Widhoelzl to replace Stefan Horngacher in January.
• Widhoelzl declined, citing his patriotism and satisfaction with the Austrian system.
• Germany hired Andreas Mitter, Horngacher's former assistant, instead.

Offer came in January

According to the Austrian daily Kleine Zeitung, the German Ski Federation (DSV) approached Andreas Widhoelzl in January about taking over from Stefan Horngacher as head of its men's ski jumping team (Andreas Widhoelzl otrzymał propozycję objęcia reprezentacji Niemiec - – Onet) (Niemcy chcieli trenera największego rywala. Teraz wszystko ujawnił – SportoweFakty). Widhoelzl said it was the first concrete offer he had ever received to change national teams during his coaching career.

Why he declined

Widhoelzl told the paper he had kept the approach quiet until now. He described himself as a strong patriot who values the Austrian system of athlete development, and said he would remain in his post as long as the Austrian federation wanted him there (Chcieli, by zastąpił w sztabie Horngachera. Nie mógł postąpić inaczej – Interia Sport). Germany ultimately hired Andreas Mitter, a fellow Austrian who had served as Horngacher's assistant.

Contract extended in April

The decision came months after Widhoelzl agreed in April to extend his contract with the Austrian federation by four years. The federation described the move as a signal of stability and a long-term commitment to cross-country skiing's competitive structure, according to the statement released at the time.

Background on Horngacher

Horngacher moved to Germany in March 2019, after leaving his role with the Polish Ski Association, and led the German men's team for seven years before stepping down. He later returned to Poland, this time as coordinator of the national ski jumping development system.