Jurgen Klopp lands surprise role at Winter Olympics – with legendary ex-Liverpool boss making his mark during biathlon medal event at Milan Cortina

Jurgen Klopp secured himself a job at the Winter Olympics after being starstruck by one of its athletes years ago.

The legendary ex-Liverpool manager was chosen to ring the bell for the final lap of the men’s biathlon relay – an event which combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting – on Tuesday afternoon.

Klopp fell in love with the biathlon growing up in Germany’s Black Forest and is apparently a fan of the legendary former Norwegian biathlete Ole Einar Bjorndalen.

‘I’m a fan of everything,’ Klopp said. ‘I love all alpine skiing, I love all cross-country skiing disciplines, I love biathlon. It’s all just exciting. 

‘I understand some things better from watching them for years or from doing them myself. Other things I don’t understand at all. I have no idea how someone can bend down so low in curling, stay stable, and still push a kettle.

‘I was even asked if I would like to ring the bell before the last lap. My first question was: What is that? We will be there; it’s my first live race.’

The former Liverpool boss grew up as a winter sports fan in Germany’s Black Forest

The biathlon combines cross-country skiing with rifle shooting in a unique event

Klopp managed to do a better job of ringing an Olympic bell than former Chancellor Jeremy Hunt who, while Culture Secretary during the London 2012 Games, very nearly hit bystanders in the face when one he was ringing flew off its handle. 

Klopp, 58, appeared enthralled by the action as he enthusiastically rang the bell to mark the start of the final lap, a vastly different task compared to his day job as head of soccer at the Red Bull group.

Klopp, who won the Champions League and Premier League as Liverpool manager between 2015 and 2024, is apparently a long-time fan of Bjorndalen, the 14-time Winter Olympics medallist known as the ‘King of Biathlon’.

The duo met for a documentary titled ‘Klopp Meets Bjorndalen’ in 2019. 

Klopp said at the time: ‘I don’t think Ole Einar has bigger admirers than me. In England they have no idea what biathlon is. They wondered who this Norwegian was, but when I heard it, I said: “Yes, I want to meet him. Where and when can I meet him?” 

‘He is actually on my bucket list. Now I can tick that box. It’s like meeting Muhammad Ali in boxing. Bjorndalen is biathlon. I try to explain it to the English. He is Franz Beckenbauer, Pele and Bobby Moore in one person.’

Bjorndalen said: ‘He has a bit of a background in winter sports. He is a sports-mad person. But after football, he is the biggest fan of biathlon.

Klopp appeared to be enthralled with the action as he rang the bell for the final lap

‘It was very surprising that he was such a big fan of me and biathlon. He was interested in blood, and said it was sad when I quit. 

‘He said he had followed my career, so he was a real blood fan. 

‘He’s even more awesome in real life. He was so easy to talk to that it was as if I had known him for 10 years. A person who is very easy to love.’