– In Khanty-Mansiysk, it used to be that everyone had their own single room in a house. There were many visitors who came and went. I was unfortunately the only female board member in that house, said Nicole Rühr when she told about her experiences in Russia on Thursday. She was general secretary of the International Biathlon Union (IBU) for 10 years, until she was investigated for several years by the Austrian police. Now she is no longer part of the investigation. But on Thursday she testified in the trial against Besseberg. On Thursday, prostitution, Russian gifts and what went on during the World Cup races in Russia became topics in court. In court, Besseberg is accused of gross corruption. He pleads not guilty. Several of the accusations concern, among other things, the reception of prostitutes, watches and hunting trips from Russian biathlon peaks. On Thursday, Besseberg also objected to more information Rühr brought to court. – The girls were even younger In court, Rühr referred to several of her experiences in a male-dominated environment in the International Biathlon Union as unpleasant. Then prosecutor Marianne Djupesland had read out from an e-mail Rühr sent after the World Cup in March 2015 in Russian Khanty-Mansiysk. There, Rühr told a female colleague in the IBU that “it was a tough week, seeing all the prostitutes come and go”. – I was very young compared to my colleagues. And those girls were even younger. One might wonder how it would match with them. I do not know. That’s how I perceived it at the time, says Rühr about the other much older biathlon peaks. Nicole Rühr (back) together with Anders Besseberg after the extraordinary congress in 2017. Photo: Berit Roald / NTB scanpix The German woman pointed out that her responsibility stopped at the bedroom door of her colleagues. But she also said that her colleagues in the International Biathlon Federation seemed proud to associate with young women in Russia. – There was no secrecy about it. Many colleagues boasted about it and that it was fine. Besseberg was one of them, said Rühr. Several Norwegian biathlete profiles have told news before the trial that they reacted to the fact that Besseberg surrounded himself with young women at festivities in Russia, where the athletes were also. On Thursday, Rühr also told why she reacted to women with whom Besseberg associated in Russia. She reacted, among other things, because of the times they were introduced to her. It could be about breakfasts at the hotel in Russia, among other things. – When they were presented to me during breakfast, it was said that they were business associates, Rühr said of the women. Court drawing by Besseberg. He does not want to be photographed during the trial. But she reacted to the way they sat next to the biathlon president. – It did not look like business relations, said Rühr. Besseberg himself, according to police interrogations reproduced in the investigative report, which was made on behalf of the IBU, said that the women he often associated with at official events in Russia were interpreters. Rühr could not understand that in several cases. – In addition, these ladies rarely knew Norwegian, English or German, said Rühr. Anders Besseberg pointed out after Rühr’s testimony that she had talked about what she had heard about prostitutes. – I always had an interpreter at my disposal in the countries where I did not speak the language, said Besseberg and continued: – I do not find it unnatural that you see me at breakfast with women who translated for me. And who was even in the room and gave me messages, said Besseberg addressing Rühr in court on Thursday. The trial against Anders Besseberg takes place in Buskerud District Court. Photo: NTB A photo was also shown in court of Besseberg and a woman from a dinner in Russia, in an e-mail exchange from Rühr. – Does this look like a business relationship? Not for me, Rühr said. Besseberg pointed out that this was a Russian woman who often interpreted for him in Russia, that she was a trained lawyer and employed by KPMG. In court, Besseberg has contested the accusations of receiving prostitutes offered by Russian government officials. But the prosecutor has also read from the first police interview with Besseberg. There, Besseberg made admissions about receiving services from prostitutes and linked it to Russian government officials. Tells about an unpleasant experience. She believes her only way to survive in her job as a woman was to put aside what she saw her colleagues doing and think only professionally. Prosecutor Marianne Djupesland wondered if she thought about bringing this up with Besseberg. – Certainly. I mentioned it to him, that it was uncomfortable. We also had an unpleasant situation in 2008, says Rühr before elaborating: – After a lunch in Athens, he asked if I would join him in the room for a midday nap. It was my first international meeting with the president, which means we didn’t know each other well. I perceived it as impudence, says the former secretary-general. She then explained that if it was one of her duties, then she was not available. Nicole Rühr was a close associate of Anders Besseberg for many years. Here in 2009. Photo: AP – In the afternoon he said that it was just a test to find out if I could cope or assert myself in a male-dominated world, and that he was satisfied with my answer, says Rühr. Was afraid Among other things, it was mentioned earlier in the trial how Rühr was tried to be bribed by the former Russian biathlete president Aleksander Tikhonov in 2009 with a jewelery box. The background was three ongoing Russian doping cases. – It was an incredibly uncomfortable situation and afterwards he was very upset. I remember it because I was scared, Rühr said in court on Thursday. Tihkonov was then vice-president of the IBU. – That’s why I called our president and asked if we could get a big dog for the office. I was really knocked out for the rest of the day, Rühr told about the phone call to Besseberg afterwards. However, this incident never became an issue in the board, – I think it was very unpleasant, says Rühr. Her impression was that Besseberg and Tikhonov knew each other so well that the matter “fell into the sand”. Besseberg himself has apologized in court earlier that he did not deal with this case with the former Russian biathlon champion. Nicole Resch during a press conference during the Biathlon World Cup in 2017. Photo: NTB Gifts from Russians were also a topic in court. Besseberg has previously rejected secrecy surrounding the luxury watches he received from various Russians. One of the gifts was given when Rühr was present. But the gift box was never opened on the spot. This was the Omega watch worth NOK 195,000 that Besseberg received in a gift box from the Russian biathlon director Sergej Kustchenko during the World Championships in 2011. The Russian was then vice-president of the International Biathlon Federation. – He never reported this to me, says Rühr about this watch and other watches in the indictment. – Do you have any opinion on whether these were gifts that could be accepted? – I don’t think it was correct. But the circumstances were unknown to me. Claims collaboration was poisoned How the relationship between Besseberg and Rühr worsened in recent years leading up to 2018 also came out in court. In these years, the extent of the Russian doping scandal shook the sports world. – At the latest after the extraordinary congress in February 2017, the collaboration between me and Besseberg was so poisoned that it was also obvious to others that my collaboration with Besseberg was extremely toxic, Djupesland quoted from the interview with Rühr in 2022. She confronted Besseberg directly and said that she thought it was unacceptable how unilaterally the Norwegian argued for Russian interests. – But at the time I did not connect it to the fact that he could have been bought. I thought he would secure the Russian Federation’s support in the upcoming re-election, Rühr said according to the interview. – Can that be true, asked the prosecutor. – Yes, answered Rühr. Nicole Rühr was secretary general of the IBU from 2008-2018. Here from 2017. She had then started to react to Besseberg’s attitude towards Russia. Photo: NTB An intercepted telephone conversation that has been played in court was also recorded. In the phone conversation with another female sports figure on December 8, 2017, Resch shared her concern. This was four months before the police operation against Besseberg. “So crazy pro-Russia that I’m a little scared now. He no longer communicates neutrally at all, but always immediately, immediately pro-Russia”, was quoted by prosecutor Djupesland as saying Rühr about Besseberg in the conversation. On Thursday, it was only confirmed by Rühr that the conversation took place. She also confirmed in court that she saw Besseberg as pro-Russian in the treatment of inflamed Russian cases in the last years he was president. Besseberg said he was far from agreeing with Resch, when he was confronted with the conversation earlier in court.
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