– I was one of those who mentioned that it could be smart to get started even if we would have big problems, says the head of lubrication for the biathletes, Tobias Dahl Fenre. The grease boss has thus changed his position since last summer. Then he went out on news and said it would be too early with a total ban already this season. But since then, the lubrication manager has changed his mind, and would prefer to see the fluoride ban introduced already this season. He informed the IBU about this before this year’s season. But the IBU chose to extend the ban by one year to protect the athletes from experiencing false positive and false negative tests. Dahl Fenre thinks that is doing himself a disservice. – Looking after the safety of the runners was the most important thing, but I still think we will have such a big problem that it could affect safety. It’s something we simply have to be prepared for, and we have to accept that risk for the benefit of the environment and health, and the regulations that exist from the EU’s side, believes the oil manager. – Those words didn’t carry that much weight For the World Cup race this season, he has with him the test apparatus that the IBU and the International Ski Federation (FIS) have chosen to detect skis with fluorine lubrication. But for the third season in a row, the fluoride ban has not been introduced. The apparatus is not good enough, and has been included purely as preparation for next season. In that case, the IBU says that the ban will be enforced. TESTING APPARATUS: This machine will detect skis with fluorine lubrication. Photo: Hanne Skjellum / news – There is no other way out. We know that next year we can no longer have fluoride, assures IBU race director Borut Nunar to news. – That’s exactly what they’ve been saying for quite a few years now, so what they said didn’t carry much weight for me, counters Dahl Fenre. – A bit strange. The athletes, on the other hand, do not want to be used as guinea pigs and that the possibility of cheating with skiing is minimal. They therefore believe that it is good for the IBU to postpone the fluoride ban until next season – I hope that the test methods will be clear. It is certainly difficult to detect fluoride in skis and to do so with sufficient accuracy to introduce a ban. From that point of view, it is a bit strange to implement a ban if you cannot crack down on it, says Sturla Holm Lægreid to news. He fears that the introduction of a fluoride ban without a fully qualified test method will lead to a weakened trust between athletes. – If you see an athlete gliding in a completely sick way, you will probably think that that person has fluoride under their skis. It will contribute to a worse atmosphere in the camp if you blame others for cheating, without proof. It is not quite the right way to go in terms of sportsmanship and fair play, Lægreid believes. HOPE: Lægreid wants the test methods to be clear when the fluoride ban is introduced. Photo: Anders Wiklund/TT / NTB He adds that it is Dahl Fenre who is the expert, and that the practitioners trust what the lubrication manager chooses to do. – If I were the head of the supermarket, I would have said the same. If that test machine never works, what actually happens then? Maybe there just has to be a change, says Johannes Thingnes Bø and gets support from Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen. – One may have to accept that it is not possible to take everything at the start, but it is important that some innocent people should not be disqualified in any case. You mustn’t do anything wrong if, for example, someone has residues of old flour on their skis that turn out positive – then it becomes too stupid if you have done everything correctly and still test positive, says Christiansen and points out that he supports the lubrication manager. – We must trust the system The device Fenre unpacked when news visited the Norwegian grease trailer in Kontiolahti, is a recognized analysis device that is used in many contexts to detect different types of substances. According to the lubrication manager, the price tag was about the same as “a cheap car”. The challenge is that the device has never before been used to detect fluorine, and each time a new substance is introduced, the machine must be taught to detect the substance. – It’s a challenge every time a new product comes in, something it will do to a very large extent when we are forced to use only fluoride-free. Then a lot of new material will enter the picture. You have many options to solve it, but the challenge right now is that you haven’t decided how to do it, says Dahl Fenre. BIG TASK: IBU race director Borut Nunar must trust the system before the ban is introduced. Photo: Hanne Skjellum / news The race director of the IBU explains that the apparatus was 90 per cent ready before the season this year, but that they would not introduce the ban until the testing is 100 per cent certain. – The system was not 100 per cent secure, so now our task is to get it completely finished during the winter and summer, explains Nunar. Therefore, the IBU will continue with random checks of the lubrication buses to detect the illegal C8 lubrication, while developing the test apparatus. – I have to be convinced that the device is ready, because there is no other way out. We know where in the system the weak points are, how we test, and how you can cheat. We must be able to trust the system, says the race director. TESTING: This winter the Norwegian buttermen will spend getting familiar with the testing apparatus. Photo: Hanne Skjellum / news And that is the reason why the Norwegian Ski Association has already acquired the device now. The aim is that one has become good friends with the expensive device by the time the next season starts. – For us, it is worth the price to pay to ensure that we are as well prepared as possible, and that we do not end up in a situation where we are denied a start because there is too much fluoride under the skis. For our part, it is extremely expensive to end up in such situations, and then that price becomes easy to defend, concludes the lubrication manager.
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The Norwegian smear boss has reversed the controversial ban – the athletes are stunned – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
