– 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 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. The testimony of Rühr is still ongoing. In court, Besseberg is accused of gross corruption. He pleads not guilty. But several of the accusations concern, among other things, the reception of prostitutes, watches and hunting trips from Russian biathlon peaks. – The girls were even younger In court, Rühr told that several of her experiences in a male-dominated environment in the International Biathlon Federation were unpleasant. Then the prosecutor Marianne Djupesland had read out from an e-mail after the World Cup in 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. 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 IBU seemed proud to associate with young women in Russia. – There was no secrecy about it. Many colleagues bragged about it and that was fine. Besseberg was one of them, said Rühr. Nicole Rühr (back) together with Anders Besseberg after the extraordinary congress in 2017. Photo: Berit Roald / NTB scanpix Several Norwegian biathlete profiles told news before the trial that they reacted to Besseberg associating himself with young women at festivities in Russia, where also the performers were. 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. But she reacted to the way they sat next to the biathlon president. – It did not appear to be a business relationship, Rühr said. According to police interrogations reproduced in the Taylor report, Besseberg himself 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. A photo of Besseberg and a woman from a dinner in Russia, in an email exchange from Rühr, was also shown in court. – Does this look like a business relationship? Not for me, Rühr said. Besseberg and the lawyers themselves have asked to speak after the break in court. In court, Besseberg has contested the accusations of receiving prostitutes offered by 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. Gifts and hunting Among other things, it is told how she 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. – 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 said. 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 that he did not deal with this case. Gifts from Russians also became 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. 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. Nicole Resch during a press conference during the Biathlon World Cup in 2017. Photo: NTB – He never reported to me, says Rühr about this watch and other watches in the indictment. – Does she 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. She herself became aware that Besseberg went hunting in Russia, which is also part of the indictment. Among other things, because hunting trophies were delivered to the IBU office in Salzburg. Besseberg wanted these to be transported to Norway. – I didn’t know concretely about things. My impression that he deliberately did not tell me about hunting, prostitution and extramarital affairs. Because he knew I would have problems with this, said Rühr.
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