On Thursday, the witness list in the case against Anders Besseberg was ready. The witness list includes a number of well-known names at management level in biathlon, both Norwegian and foreign names. Besseberg, who was president of the International Biathlon Union for more than 25 years, is charged with gross corruption. He pleads not guilty after the indictment. The Russian doping whistleblower Grigory Rodchenkov is also on the witness list. So it is the Russian who warned about the extensive doping cheat during the Olympics in Sochi in 2014. He himself was one of the architects behind the cheat and became world famous after he laid the cards on the table. In an interview with news, which was published on 11 April 2018, he made strong accusations against the International Biathlon Union when it came to doping management. – In biathlon, the blood passport system is manipulated and sabotaged, says Rodtschenkov. Worries The former Norwegian biathlete president Tore Bøygard is also on the witness list. – I have had nicer things to look forward to. I’m terrified, said Tore Bøygard to Hallingdølen a few days ago. He is one of those who will testify in the case against Anders Besseberg in Buskerud District Court in January. Bøygard told his local newspaper Hallingdølen last week that he had been summoned as a witness on 23 January. On Tuesday, he elaborated to news: – I am not looking forward to testifying, but now I have been summoned. I have to do the best I can and answer what comes, Bøygard wrote in an SMS. On Friday morning, the witness list was then shared with the press before the trial against Anders Besseberg, which starts on Tuesday 9 January. Several of the witnesses have previously confirmed to news that they have been interviewed by the police. More charges The public prosecutor’s office accuses Besseberg of having accepted bribes in the form of prostitutes offered by Russians, exclusive watches, paid hunting trips and a leasing car paid for by a company that procured marketing agreements. Bøygard currently sits on the board of the International Biathlon Union (IBU). He was president of the Norwegian Biathlon Union at the same time as Besseberg was IBU president. In front of the local newspaper, he himself did not want to talk about his own experiences, as he will testify in court in January. – The IBU has done a good clean-up job, which has been praised in the international community. But when the case now comes to court, it goes beyond the reputation. Especially when it happens in the middle of the season. There are only losers in this matter. President for over 25 years Anders Besseberg was president of the International Biathlon Union continuously for over 25 years. Besseberg’s lawyer Christian B. Hjort has said that the 77-year-old feels prejudged. The trial will be the first time Besseberg has to explain himself concretely about the points in the indictment. – It is the only real opportunity he has to retaliate rather than trying to answer all rumours, views and opinions that are otherwise referred to him through the press, Hjort told news in December.
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Russian doping whistleblower to testify in the Besseberg case – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcast schedule
