– The status of the case is that it is pending investigation by the police, says police attorney Airin Andersen in the Finnmark police district in an e-mail to news. On Tuesday, Thomas Wærner was reported to the police by dog runner Kristoffer Halvorsen, who broke the race at checkpoint Neiden. Halvorsen says he was threatened by Thomas Wærner, and that he did not dare to drive on after the collision on Monday in Tana. There were several witnesses to the incident. news has captured the episode on video, but does not know what is being said. – The investigation has been initiated. The police seek to uncover what has happened and what has been said by questioning witnesses, as well as suspects and victims, writes Airin Andersen in her email to news. – A visiting ban has been imposed, it is not appropriate to comment further on this. The police in Finnmark are now investigating the threats that Thomas Wærner is said to have made against Kristoffer Halvorsen Photo: Alf Harald Martinsen / news Should have been threatened Kristoffer Halvorsen chose to break FL1200 in Neiden. He was first in the lane and had a good chance of taking WC gold when he broke the race. – Thomas Wærner threatened me that people will be flown up to monitor me for the rest of the race. According to Halvorsen, the threats must have been that Wærner would happily pay some NOK 50,000 to follow Halvorsen. On Tuesday, Halvorsen was at the police station in Kirkenes and reported the incident. Jurisdiction Eve K. Remmen in the Finnmark police district then confirmed that a report of threats had been received from a participant in the Finnmark race. The threats must have been made by another participant. – Ugreit iFinnmark spoke to Thomas Wærner at the checkpoint in Levajok on Thursday afternoon. He rests there before starting the next leg against Karasjok in the FL200 class. – Using public authorities to weaken my name is inappropriate. When you take part in a sports event, you must follow the event’s rules and not make too much of a fuss about it, says Wærner to iFinnmark.no. Thomas Wærner also informs iFinnmark that he has no plans to contact Halvorsen in the future. – There is no problem. I blocked him five years ago on the phone and on social media. So I see no problem with maintaining it. Kristoffer Halvorsen has not wanted to comment on the matter to the media. Not questioned, news learns that he was filmed at checkpoint Tana, and that this must have been the course of the conflict. Thomas Wærner told news earlier this week that there is a long history behind the relationship between the two dog walkers. – It is a shame that individuals should make so much noise in an environment. It’s a shame for the sport, and the sport doesn’t deserve it, I think. Police attorney Airin Andersen states in an e-mail that the victim has explained himself through the report. – If necessary, the victim will be summoned for supplementary questioning. The suspect has not yet been questioned in the case, naturally enough because of the Finnmark Race in which he is participating, Andersen says. More conflicts This is not the first time there have been conflicts surrounding the high-profile dog handler Thomas Wærner. Last year Wærner won NM gold when he crossed the finish line first in the FL1200, but afterwards a complaint was lodged against him. Five competitors believed that several violations of the rules had been made. They accused Wærner of several breaches of animal welfare rules and inappropriate behaviour. As proof of this, they attached eight videos. Among other things, he was accused of starting out with lame dogs, and of running over the vets at a checkpoint. Wærner was acquitted on all counts by the sanctions committee in the association, and later by the Norwegian Dog Handlers’ Association. Nevertheless, the rules for animal welfare have subsequently been changed in Finnmarksløpet and Femundløpet. – No grounds for sanctions Finnmarksløpet race leader Rita Hallvig confirms that they had a jury trial on Monday evening, and that one of the jury members was also present when the collision occurred. The case was reported by an official, and involved unsportsmanlike behavior from both parties. Three witnesses are said to have independently described the situation as a brief altercation following allegations of something that should have happened on the course before checkpoint Tana, according to race director Rita Hallvig. – The participants stood at a good distance from each other, and there was no physical contact. The situation should also have been over in a few seconds, she says. The jury has unanimously decided that there is no basis for sanctioning any of the drivers. – We comply with the regulations. The fact that the participants sometimes do not agree on a decision cannot be taken into account by the jury. If participants want to break the race because he disagrees, this is the participant’s choice, says Hallvig. Still competing Thomas Wærner entered checkpoint Levajok at 18:34 on Thursday, an hour after Trine Lyrek and Niklas Rogne. Wærner has eight dogs in the team, and has driven the last stage from Varangerbotn at an average speed of 11.1 km/hour. He said in Varangerbotn that he was no longer racing for a WC medal, but to finish. It is still open who will take third place and WC bronze in Finnmarksløpet’s 1200 class. Petter Karlsson and Steinar Kristensen are at the front with a large gap.
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– The investigation has been launched – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
