– I understand that there will be speculation and reactions, says Marit Bjørgen to news. She has just learned that for almost three years it has been illegal to test young people between the ages of 15 and 18 without parental consent, which can lead to both serious consequences and loss of reputation. – We have athletes who may be 18 years old who go to the WC and the Olympics who may come from Norway, and who may not have been tested, and then I understand that there will be reactions to that, she continues. The news has received massive attention outside Norway’s borders, and in both Russian and Finnish media, Norwegian athletes are directly or indirectly suspected. – Norway’s anti-doping efforts are an enigma. In this case, there seems to be no doubt – young people from 15 to 18 years are not tested – that is the law they have, stated Svetlana Zjurova, former Olympic figure skating champion, according to VG. – Hmm, and which of us is now not allowed to take part in the Olympics in 2026?, asked cross-country skiing sensation Veronika Stepanova on social media, posting a photo of Helene Marie Fossesholm. Biathlon commentator Dmitrij Gubernijev has also got involved: – This is how healthy Olympic champions are developed from young asthmatics who have been seriously ill since childhood, he wrote after news’s revelation, followed by a face that laughs so hard it cries. The Norwegian anti-doping crisis In March 2012, a law firm at the request of Anti-Doping Norway assessed whether it was legal to test minors without parental consent. The conclusion was no. Antidoping Norway and the Norwegian Sports Confederation contacted the Norwegian authorities to get their assessment of the section in question. In October 2019, the Ministry of Culture issued its statement. They agreed with the law firm that there is no legal basis in Norwegian law for doping testing minors without consent. The conclusion has led to the fact that no underage athletes have been tested for several years. Anders Solheim, head of Anti-Doping Norway, believes the situation is unsustainable: – We do not want a sport where you can dope until you are 18 – without taking a test. It provides an opportunity to cheat and gain an unfair advantage, he says. Anti-doping Norway and the Norwegian Sports Confederation want a regulation or a change in the law that allows young people between the ages of 15 and 18 to give their consent to testing. news first wrote about the problem in April 2021, but the problem was still not solved. In August 2022, news revealed that the lack of testing is a breach of WADA’s rules, and that it could have major consequences for Norwegian sport in a relatively short time. Authorities have said they believe consent-based testing is valid, as WADA accepts solutions where nations obtain long-term consent from guardians. This is a solution Anti-doping Norway and NIF are fighting against: – If it is voluntary with consent, you can dope as much as you want. If there is forced consent, where you must have a parent’s consent to participate, you will risk not getting that consent. You also run the risk that those who need to be in the sport will not get this consent, explains Solheim. In the meantime, Norway is left without the opportunity to test minors in the third year, which means that talents can enter the top sport without having been tested for a long time. – We can’t have it this way Vidar Løfshus, former national team manager, understands the suspicion well, and he believes that Norwegian sport cannot tolerate that there should be an opportunity for underage athletes to engage in cheating. – We have had some unfortunate episodes in cross-country skiing, and then it is easy for other nations to hang on when they see that there are such gaps in Norwegian anti-doping legislation, he says, referring to the verdicts against Martin Johnsrud Sundby and Therese Johaug. Løfshus thinks the situation is boring, both for individual athletes and for Norwegian sports as a whole. – It’s a shame for them, and it’s a shame for the reputation of Norwegian sports as a whole. You understand that you are easily made suspicious in other countries, because we are a nation that often makes others suspicious ourselves, when we see that others have any loopholes. – Doesn’t this look good from the outside? – No, it does not. It says itself. We can’t have it like this. Then we have to change the legislation, concludes the former – To put it mildly, a small disaster Helene Marie Fossesholm is one of the athletes who have been highlighted in foreign media. She clarifies that she was not affected by the new interpretation of the law, as she turned 18 before it came into force in 2019. The cross-country set still thinks the whole thing is complicated. SUSPECT: Helene Marie Fossesholm. Photo: Terje Pedersen / NTB – It is a situation we should have avoided. It is a shame that it has arisen. We have not been aware of it, and it should have been communicated earlier. Now we have ended up in this situation here, so I hope we can find a solution. – How does it feel to be hanged because of a loophole in Norwegian law? – To be completely honest. If I were to go and think about it, there would have been a lot of energy leaks, Fossesholm replies, and adds that she hopes for a quick solution. – We as performers get to do very little, but then we are the ones who get caught with our beards in the mailbox, she concludes.
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Norwegian athletes are suspected after anti-doping revelations – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcast schedule
