Jurgen Klopp is heading to the Winter Olympics, but not for anything football-related. The former Liverpool manager has landed himself a unique gig at the biathlon relay event.
Klopp will ring the bell for the final lap of the men's biathlon relay on Tuesday afternoon. For those who don't know, biathlon is that wild sport that combines cross-country skiing with rifle shooting. It's massive in Europe but relatively unknown in England.
The 58-year-old grew up in Germany's Black Forest and fell in love with winter sports at a young age. He's not just a casual fan either - this guy is obsessed with everything from alpine skiing to curling.
A Lifelong Winter Sports Fanatic
"I'm a fan of everything," Klopp admitted. "I love all alpine skiing, I love all cross-country skiing disciplines, I love biathlon. It's all just exciting."
He even confessed he doesn't understand how curling athletes can bend down so low and still push the stone. When asked to ring the bell before the final lap, his first question was simply: "What is that?" This will be his first time watching a biathlon race live.
Klopp's particular hero is Ole Einar Bjorndalen, a Norwegian legend with 14 Winter Olympics medals. He's known as the "King of Biathlon," and Klopp considers meeting him a bucket-list moment.
When Klopp Met His Winter Sports Hero
The two actually met for a documentary called "Klopp Meets Bjorndalen" back in 2019. Klopp didn't hold back his admiration during that meeting.
"I don't think Ole Einar has bigger admirers than me," Klopp said at the time. "In England they have no idea what biathlon is. When I heard [about the meeting], I said: 'Yes, I want to meet him. Where and when can I meet him?'"
Klopp compared meeting Bjorndalen to meeting Muhammad Ali in boxing. He even tried explaining the Norwegian's greatness to English audiences by saying: "He is Franz Beckenbauer, Pele and Bobby Moore in one person."
Bjorndalen was equally impressed by Klopp's genuine passion. "He is a sports-mad person. But after football, he is the biggest fan of biathlon," the Norwegian said. "He's even more awesome in real life."
Now in his role as head of soccer at Red Bull, Klopp still finds time for his other sporting passions. Just don't expect him to be as skilled at bell-ringing as he was at managing Liverpool to Champions League and Premier League glory between 2015 and 2024.
Let's hope he does better than former Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, who nearly hit bystanders when his bell flew off its handle during London 2012. That would be one Olympic moment Klopp would rather avoid.
