A deeply affected group sat in a meeting room at the Holmenkollen Park Hotel. Johaug was in a meeting with the Norwegian Skiing Association and had brought along lawyer, manager Jørn Ernst and boyfriend Nils Jakob Hoff. From the Skiing Association, president Erik Røste, communications manager Espen Graff, head of the cross-country committee Torbjørn Skogstad and media officer for the cross-country national team Gro Eide had turned up. – It was obviously not just me that this case was tough, it was a group of hard-tested and tired people who sat around the table, says Johaug in his new biography, which has been penned by news journalist Anders Skjerdingstad. IN TEARS: Therese Johaug and head of communications in the Norwegian Ski Association Espen Graff at the press conference in 2016 after it became known that Johaug was caught for doping. Photo: Håkon Mosvold Larsen / NTB – I hardly believed what I heard Johaug write that she wanted to publish the news about the positive doping test in the media, and received support from the Skiing Association. However, they wanted her to wait until after a scheduled kickoff for the cross-country national teams two days later, according to her. Here the plans for the coming winter were to be presented and the biggest stars were to be available to the press. The Skiing Association wondered if it was relevant for Johaug to run, but was told flatly no. Then came the suggestion that she could lie and say she was ill, so that there was an explanation as to why she couldn’t be there, claims Johaug. – I hardly believed what I heard, writes the cross-country set, who made it clear that her announcement had to take place before the kickoff. news has tried to get a comment from the long-standing head of communications in the ski association Espen Graff and former ski president Erik Røste on the case, but has so far been unsuccessful. To VG, he has said the following about Johaug’s version of the case: – It was a meeting where everyone was strongly affected and various solutions were discussed, both wise and less wise. We discussed challenges around the big kickoff, but the most important thing from my point of view is that we obviously wanted to tell the story as it was. We had good communication with Christian Hjort and Jørn Ernst. It resulted in the ski board canceling the kickoff and planning a press conference, he tells the newspaper. Was furious According to Johaug, the Ski Association argued that it would ruin their plans, and that it would steal all the focus from the rest of the kickoff. It was at this point that things boiled over for Nils Jakob Hoff. RASTE: Johaug’s lover, Nils Jakob Hoff. Photo: Berit Roald / NTB Johaug writes that he slammed his fist on the table, pushed his chair back and delivered a thunderous speech about how terrible his girlfriend was at the moment. “And now you want Therese to go out and lie?” he shouted furiously, at the same time picking up a pen from the table and throwing it with all his might. It flew through the room like a projectile, not far above the head of the ski president, and hit the wall with a bang,” says an excerpt from the book. – We were all in a chaotic situation and were thrown into something we didn’t know what it was. Both parties who sat in that room had very high shoulders and said things they should not have said in retrospect, says Johaug on Dagsrevyen on Thursday. She thinks it was out of the question to lie. – It was not up to my credibility. Those were not the values I grew up with at home in Dalsbygda. I wasn’t going to lie. That made my boyfriend really fed up and excited. Fortunately, I got my way in the end, she continues. SUPPORTING PLAYER: Therese Johaug is congratulated by her boyfriend Nils Jakob Hoff after the 30 kilometer joint start during the Holmenkollen ski show earlier this year. Photo: Lise Åserud / NTB There was silence in the room, and after a while Røste spoke. He asked Johaug to hold his press conference and at the same time decided that the kickoff should be cancelled. – I remember Nils Jakob getting angry and throwing a pen. There were many people present, but my impression is that the details are not well remembered. There are different versions of why he was angry, says Graff to VG about the meeting. Johaug was ultimately convicted of breaching the doping rules and was not allowed to return to professional sports until 19 April 2018. As a result, she missed the Ski World Championships that same year.
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Therese Johaug claims she was asked to lie – her boyfriend became enraged – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcast schedule
