Maite Nadig never shied away from conflict - not even with former ski boss Adolf Ogi. The skiing legend accuses the later Federal Councillor of never having taken an interest in female skiers. Until she skied to Olympic gold.
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- Maite Nadig was a surprise double Olympic champion in Sapporo in 1972.
- In the Olympic talk "Legends for eternity", she reveals why she repeatedly quarrelled with the then ski director and later Federal Councillor Adolf Ogi.
- Nadig: "He didn't care about us women before Sapporo. But after my successes, he told me that he had done just that. And I didn't like that."
On February 5, 1972, Switzerland was ecstatic because of her, and three days later: Marie-Theres Nadig, a 17-year-old outsider, skied to victory in the downhill and giant slalom, giving Switzerland two gold medals in the magical days of Sapporo. "Nobody expected anything," says Nadig.
This was apparently also true for the Ski Association and its director Adolf Ogi (now 83). The later SVP Federal Councillor initially ignored the women - but later basked in Nadig's success. This is what "Gold-Maite" says in her usual direct and open manner in the blue Talk "Legends for eternity".
Youthful cheekiness
Nadig remembers: "He didn't care about us women before Sapporo. But after my successes, he told me that he had done just that. And I didn't like that." Ogi cheered along with Nadig and had his photo taken with the young girl from Flums.
Those who had played a part in Nadig's success had received far too little recognition. The coaches, the service staff. "And I wanted the success to be attributed to those who were also responsible for it," says Nadig.
Two or three times she then clashed with Ogi, says Nadig, "I then asked him questions in my youthful, cheeky way. Let's put it this way: we didn't always see eye to eye," says Nadig. True enough. One contentious issue, among others, was clothing. The women wore different colors than the men. "And I had the cheek to ask why that was," says Nadig. Ogi then made it relatively clear to her that the women were "not the national team". "Those were statements that showed me that we weren't worth as much as the men. At least that's how it seemed to me."
"That bothered me"
It wasn't about equality, says Nadig, but about appreciation. "I know that the men were much better than us back then. But the fact that they didn't really want us before the season and then acted as if they had done everything for our success. That bothered me."
