(Procycling.no): One year after Steffen Kjærsgaard case struck Norway, started Doping Norway up its own interviews with 30 key players in the Norwegian cycling.
The purpose was to provide new information and identify potential drug abuse in the past 20-25 years, both at home and abroad.
Interviewees were promised anonymity in the hope of gaining full transparency in return. It was also specified that it was voluntary to set up the call.
In a 19 pages long final report are those described as “current and former athletes, primarily at the international level, as well as people in støtteappart and others with special knowledge of the sport over the last 20-25 years. “
The project has been appraised to be about road cycling for men.
Inspired by the Dutch
The survey was inspired by a similar round in the Netherlands where it is arrived stories and concessions on extensive doping in the former Rabobank team.
The final report of the Anti-Doping Norway, it emerged that there was “little new knowledge” that emerged from the interviews.
“To the extent that the individual interviewee possibly had information relevant for assessing whether to establish a case against individual practitioners, would not this has been discussed in this report, but as a separate issue that would be presented to the prosecuting emden. There has been no such information. “
” It was made clear to the individual interviewees that Anti-Doping Norway could receive information about respondents’ any separate violation of NIF laws doping in a such a forum, and also allowed silence about this if the ratio was within the limitation period. There has been no such information “ .
None of the 30 interviewees have thus come with information that led to disciplinary cases by prosecuting emden a national team.
– You know more than they tell
ADN believes all information has not been put on the table during the interviews:
– We are left with a feeling that there still exists a kind of “law of silence” in cycling. We have the impression that several interviewees know more than they tell about cyclists and potential breaches of the doping regulations, says CEO of Anti-Doping Norway, Anders Solheim, in a statement.
– But having said that; we have not experienced any reluctance, and there may be many motives for not saying more, he adds.
The people who were invited for an interview have been asked 31 questions they should consider.
Among other things, they sought to find an explanation for why there has been so much doping in international cycling, and if they think Norwegian cyclists were involved in doping use in international cycling.
“All used doping”
The report states some general answers from anonymous persons within the Norwegian cycling environment.
“Interviewees were asked if they were surprised by the revelations that have been in the sport, especially the last couple of years. Almost all said they were not surprised because “all used doping ” in the sport before. Some of the interviewees said that the definition of doping in parts of the international cycling has traditionally been a matter of what one could trace in doping tests, and what one has not had analytical methods for “.
When questions ask on whether Norwegian riders had knowledge of drug use, are not answers unambiguous.
ADN outlines a division of interviewees in the “naive” and those who “tell of an overt drug use.”
“Many of the interviewees point to a closed culture and the fact that they were not part of this culture as a justification for not even know how extensive the problem was. Only in retrospect, they understood the scope. There were rumors about drug use, but there was never anything specific, other than that practitioners were taken from time to time “.
” Other interviewees Forell a completely different story. They say they saw how blatantly doping problem was in the early and mid 90s. They illustrate that drug use is not only happening in closed environments or only for the initiated. They are clear that anyone who was part of the international cycling on some level, knew or should have known how extensive the problem was, even then. These interviewees portray doping as part of the game, whether it was about the use of cortisone, steroids or other forms of drug use. They also illustrate that drug use became progressively more hidden as analysis and control methods were more extensive “.
The variation in the responses perceived as a disparity between the groups of ADN.
“When some interviewees in talks claim that all Norwegians who were involved in the sport in the 90s must have seen how extensive the problem was, there is reason to question whether other interviewees exhibit an assumed naivete and a desire to say the least amount of “ , concludes ADN report.
– Provides” Kjærsgaard case “blame
Possible reasons for interviewees withholds information be silence law (often referred to as omerta) or even condemnation seen in the Norwegian society in connection with previous doping cases.
“Through conversations with interviewees have issues around being arrested in doping as Norwegian cyclist been a theme. Most interviewees expressed an opinion that it is far more shameful and stigmatizing to be taken into doping for a Norwegian athlete than it is in many other countries “.
Several also pointed condemnation Steffen Kjærsgaard met when he felt pressured to come forward in autumn 2012:
“A number of interviewees refers to Kjærsgaard case and the condemnation they experience Steffen Kjærsgaard got in the media after his fall in 2012 came forward and admitted extensive drug use. Many interviewees believe that such condemnation might have made it likely will be an even higher threshold than in the past for other Norwegian cyclists will stand up publicly and admit drug use. “
When it comes to question of several Norwegian athletes have made use of illegal performance-enhancing drugs, not everyone can exclude it.
“Most of the interviewees expressed an opinion that there has been a lot of doping in international cycling race. Many interviewees do not include the Norwegian racers, as the last 20-25 years has been part of the international cycling “.
” Some of the interviewees said However, they can not exclude that the Norwegians have used doping agents, and believes that there are no less likely doping among athletes than among Norwegian athletes from other nations at the same time and level. The reason for this is that drug use was a big part of the culture of the sport “.
You can read the full report here!
This article is provided by bike site www.procycling.no
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