The Ingebrigtsen brothers have been concerned in a long-standing battle with their father and former coach, Gjert Ingebrigtsen. Earlier this week, the strain reached a excessive level when the Norwegian Athletics Affiliation denied Gjert accreditation for main championships within the upcoming yr, together with the World Indoor Athletics Championships and the Paris Olympics.

Final yr, the brothers revealed that Gjert would now not coach his sons, Jakob, Filip and Henrik, for well being causes. Later it got here out that Gjert was not granted accreditation on the 2023 World Championships in Budapest and didn’t attend Jakob’s marriage ceremony in September, and Norwegian media dove into the feud.

In a press release from the brothers printed within the Norweigan newspaper VG, they make clear their experiences with their father and former coach, revealing that their family whereas rising up was marked by aggression, management and bodily violence. Though they initially accepted these circumstances, two years in the past they selected to confront their traumatic previous. They referred to the scenario as “draining” and “insufferable.”

“We should always have helped cease the scenario earlier,” the brothers wrote on VG. “The truth that we didn’t weighs on us. Two years in the past, we had sufficient. The scenario we have now been by within the household has taken an unlimited toll. Within the midst of this, we have now tried to carry out, however the pleasure of taking part in sports activities is gone.”

The brothers requested the Norwegian Athletics Affiliation for security from Gjert and to not be put in conditions the place they could see or need to face their father. “We don’t have the capability or want to take care of him. Not now,” stated Henrik. 

“On the premise of Jakob, Philip and Henrik’s statements at present, we promise to offer a secure atmosphere and a wholesome efficiency atmosphere for our athletes,” the Norwegian Athletics Federation wrote in a response to their assertion.

Gjert continues to be very a lot related to Norwegian athletics because the coach of high-profile middle-distance runner Narve Gilje Nordås, who received bronze within the males’s 1,500m on the world championships in Budapest, ending on the heels of his compatriot, Jakob Ingebrigtsen, and the brand new world champion, Nice Britain’s Josh Kerr.

Gjert responded to those claims by his lawyer on Thursday, denying the allegations of violence:

“The statements they make are baseless. I’ve by no means used violence in opposition to my youngsters. That I’ve had weaknesses as a father, and to a fantastic extent been a coach, is a realization I’ve additionally come to – albeit far too late.

“I’m removed from good as a father and husband, however I’m not violent. At the start, this can be a tragic scenario for my household–we have now reached the purpose the place we’re spreading false accusations in opposition to one another within the media. It makes me deeply sad. How we’re going to get previous this, I don’t know, however we’ve acquired to strive.”

The brothers concluded their assertion by saying that they need to get again to the enjoyment of taking part in sports activities and representing Norway “with the flag on their chest” with out the shadow of their household battle. “There are various individuals who need to discuss to us about this matter. We don’t need that. This case has price an excessive amount of already, and now we need to transfer on,” they wrote.