Employees of the Austrian and German police have carried out anti-doping RAID during the world Championships in ski sports. It is reported that was detained five skiers from Austria, Kazakhstan and Estonia, as well as a number of their accomplices involved in illegal blood transfusion. In the Austrian ski Union, has indirectly confirmed this information. While the world anti-doping Agency (WADA) announced that it assisted law enforcement officers.

  • AFP
  • © Georg Hochmuth / APA

“Someone found at the crime scene”

The first high-profile doping scandal at the world Championships in ski sports in Seefeld, told notorious in Russia, the German journalist of the TV channel ARD, Hyo Seppelt. He morning of Wednesday, February 27, wrote in their accounts in social networks, which in the Austrian Tirol and German Erfurt police of the two countries held anti-doping raids.

“The Austrian Federal criminal police conducts RAID in Seefeld in connection with allegations of anti-doping violations at the world Cup. Operation koordiniruyutsya Austrian and German authorities. Under suspicion sportsmen from different countries,” said Seppelt.

Later, he revealed new details of what is happening. According to him, the police raids were linked to information provided by the Austrian skier Johannes Duerr in another documentary the documentary. The athlete admitted that he took doping. In particular, Duerr spoke in detail about the procedure of blood transfusion. Supposedly these procedures were conducted in Germany.

Soon became known, and the countries representatives of which have fallen under the suspicion of the police.

“According to information from the ARD, we are talking about the hosts of the world championship in Austria, as well as sportsmen from Estonia and Kazakhstan. Blood doping? I suspect that someone caught at the scene right before the men’s race at 15 km,” said Seppelt.

At first, it was about seven detainees, including five athletes (two Austrian, two Estonians and one representative of Kazakhstan), and then the total number of detainees has risen to nine.

Anyway, to calculate the suspects was easy because at the start of the individual race on 15 km has not left the Austrians Dominik Baldauf and Max Hauke, Estonians Andrus Veerpalu and Karel Tammjarv and Kazakhstani Alexey Poltoranin.

Also

Historical silver: the Immortal second in the individual race at the world Cup in Seefeld

Russian Alexander Bessmertnykh won silver in individual race in classic style at the world Championships in ski sports…

And if the first four skiers in this list is clearly not claimed to medals and not too well-known to the General public, the 31-year-old with a victory in his career was marked by a number of high results. In particular, he took two bronze medals of the world championship in Val di Fiemme (team sprint and race on 50 km). In the same 2012/13 season, the skier from Kazakhstan managed to take the fourth place in the overall standings of the Cup of the world.

In Seefeld Poltoranin managed to occupy the 11th place in the skiathlon and could improve your score in the individual race.

“There is nothing more despicable”

Official confirmation about the detention of the aforesaid athletes yet, but the President of the Austrian ski Association Peter Recknagel have actually recognized that the case involved the athletes representing his country.

“Nothing is more despicable than the achievement of results by illegal means. I am deeply upset that some athletes apparently did not consider the lessons of the past. In the Austrian Federation has zero tolerance for doping. But we can’t guarantee that everyone will abide by strict rules. The responsibility of each individual athlete,” said Recknagel.

Confirmed the RAID and the world anti-doping Agency (WADA). Moreover, it stressed that it had provided police assistance.

“WADA can confirm that maintained close liaison with law enforcement agencies in connection with the raids and arrests, which are now conducted by the police in Austria and Germany… the Department of intelligence and investigations, WADA has provided information and other necessary assistance to the authorities in the course of their operation,” — said the Agency.

“This cooperation followed the WADA investigation into the activities of the International biathlon Union, which last year led to the initiation of a criminal case by the police in Austria and Norway”, — reads the statement of the press service of the Agency.

Fortunately, the Russian team searches did not intervene, said the President of Federation of ski races of Russia (FLGR) Elena Vyalbe.

“If you want, let them come. We are open to any checks, including police. There are no problems”, — quotes the words Vyalbe RIA Novosti.

In turn, member of the Presidium of the FLGR Sergei Kranen noted that the Russian skiers have nothing to fear.

“No one is against these anti-doping raids. Our team is clean. Sorry, I’m not with the national team. Sure, our team is no problem. Let check what you want, is already a thousand times was. Let check, shmonali, look. There will be no questions. Lipsticks with anabolic steroids we do not have”, — quotes Granina the website of the TV channel “360”.

Blow Shipulin and removal of the athletes from Kazakhstan

Meanwhile, Austrian police is not the first time committing the anti-doping RAID against athletes. So, in December of 2018 they showed up in the national team of Russia in biathlon during the world Cup in Hochfilzen.

Also

“Panic is premature,”: biathlete of the Russian can be disqualified for missing doping tests

Biathlete Margarita Vasilyeva may be disqualified for violating anti-doping rules. She missed three in a row…

Then coach Alexander Kasperovich, and biathletes Eugene Garanichev, Alexander Loginov, Anton Shipulin, Alexey Volkov and Irina Old suspect in an alleged anti-doping rule violation during world Championships in Austria in 2017.

As a result, until the formal charge is not reached and everyone calmly continued to speak.

However, Shipulina occurred largely motivated to finish his career, and about his decision he announced just a couple of weeks after the visit of Austrian police.

“Because of the recent situation in Austria without proof when we began to blame, I dropped his hands. I haven’t left my room for three days, trying to distract himself with training, but it did not help. Wrote pros and cons on a piece of paper to make the right decision,” explained the athlete.

In a similar situation at the time, landed the Kazakh biathletes. In 2017 ahead of the world Cup in Hochfilzen, the police raided the hotel team. It was reported that the athletes were found suspicious ampoules, syringes and medicines. However, all the doping samples of the representatives of Kazakhstan in the end it turned out negative.

But on the eve of the season-2018/19, the IBU was suspended from all competitions under its aegis from nine biathletes from Kazakhstan. The investigation into their case has not ended until now.