Bjorndalen to coach Belarus team in Pyeongchang

Norwegian biathlon superstar Ole Einar Bjorndalen, who has won the most medals in the history of the Winter Olympics, has joined the Belarus team's coaching staff, the country's biathlon top official said Tuesday.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has approved the Belarusian biathlon federation's request to accredit the eight-time Olympic champion as the country's squad member.

"Bjorndalen will go to Pyeongchang as our team's coach," the federation secretary general Anatoly Stromsky told AFP.

"We'd like to thank the IOC for their help, which will also give the star biathlete a chance to attend the Games."

Bjorndalen has won 13 Olympic medals (eight gold, four silver and one bronze), making him the best biathlete in Olympic history. He also has 95 individual victories in the World Cup and 20 world titles.

However, earlier this month Bjorndalen was omitted from Norway's biathlon team for next month's Games in Pyeongchang after he failed to meet the selection criteria.

"The results achieved by (Ole Einar) Bjorndalen during the World Cup... are not good enough. He unfortunately did not meet the criteria" of the selection, the head of the Norwegian Olympic Committee Tore Oevreboe said.

The 44 year-old has competed in every Winter Olympics since the 1994 event in Lillehammer, Norway, and was hoping to participate in a seventh Olympiad in Pyeongchang next month.

"It sucks that I can't go," Bjorndalen told Norwegian TV, adding that he disagreed with the Norwegian Olympic Committee's decision to leave him out of his country's team.

But Bjorndalen has been married to Belarusian biathlete Darya Domracheva since July 2016 and the Belarusian biathlon federation was quick to express readiness to lend a helping hand to the most successful biathlete in the history of the Winter Games.

"We did it to make Dasha (Domracheva) feel comfortable in Pyeongchang," Stromsky added.

"Bjorndalen's huge experience may be very useful for the entire squad. His advice may be precious for us at the Games."

Domracheva said she was happy to enjoy the support of her husband at Pyeongchang.

"The Olympics are a great event for any athlete and for me it will be very important to feel the support of my beloved man there," Belarus news agency BELTA quoted her as saying.

"It will be great to have him by my side in Korea. We will practise together there. I hope it will help me a great deal."