Finnish ice hockey player Aleksi Peltonen25, being dismissed from the Swiss league has been big news in the country’s newspapers in recent days.
– The young HC Davos attacker found himself in the middle of an incredible story. Diabetic Aleksi Peltonen uses insulin. The thing his company forgot to tell, wrote Blick on Tuesday evening.
Aleksi Peltonen is a Finnish player legend, the current head coach of HIFK Ville Peltonen son. Since 2014, he has been playing in the USA – the last four seasons in the NCAA college series.
However, the striker’s first professional season in the Swiss league got off to a miserable start. Peltonen had time to play two league matches in Davos before the temporary suspension.
– The club may have been guilty of administrative negligence, which may have violated anti-doping regulations, the Swiss Hockey League announced on Tuesday.
Athletes with diabetes are allowed to use insulin, but the matter is still monitored. Peltonen’s club had not informed the doping authorities by the deadline of their player’s use of insulin.
Posted by Davos bulletinin which it regretted what had happened.
Davos says in his press release that “Peltonen is dependent on regular medication for medical reasons, the use of which must be approved by Swiss Sport Integrity”. In order for athletes who take regular medication to be able to participate in competitive activities, athletes may, with an exception, use substances that may otherwise be prohibited.
– In the present case, HC Davos has not submitted this application on time due to delays and misunderstandings. According to Swiss Sport Integrity, the delay may have been an administrative anti-doping rule violation. Therefore, Peltonen has been shelved as a precaution until Swiss Sport Integrity has given its final verdict.
– Someone didn’t leave the documents on time. As the person responsible for the sports side, I take full responsibility for this, Davos sports director Jan Alston stated to Blick.
Why a doping agent?
Thursday Posted by Blick More information about Peltonen’s case. At the moment, Peltonen is not even allowed to participate in his team’s training, the paper wrote.
Blick reminded that insulin is listed as a prohibited doping substance because it has been misused, for example, in bodybuilding circles. Therefore, a permit is required for its use.
of the Finnish Sports Ethics Center According to Suek insulins, which are used in the treatment of diabetes, belong to the modulators affecting hormones and metabolism, which are prohibited in sports at all times. Suek also reminds that patients with type 1 diabetes always receive permission for insulin treatment.
According to the website Dopinglinkki as doping, insulin has been used especially after strength training to enhance recovery and anabolic effect. According to the website, insulin increases the formation of glycogen, i.e. sugar stored in the body, promotes the uptake of glucose and amino acids into the cell, and accelerates protein synthesis and reduces protein breakdown. Insulin is therefore an anabolic, i.e. tissue-growing, hormone.
It is worth emphasizing that Pelto is not suspected of a doping violation, but the purpose of the above was only to describe why insulin is on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s WADA list of prohibited substances without applying for exemption.
A precedent from a couple of years ago
Blick reminds that there is a precedent for Peltonen’s situation in the Swiss league. A Canadian who played for SC Bern by Cory Conacher there was insulin in the doping test in spring 2021.
Conacher had moved from Lausenna to Bern in the middle of the season. In Bern, it was assumed that Lausanne had already applied for exemption for Conacher’s insulin use. However, it turned out that this was not the case.
Conacher was suspended for three months and fined 2,500 francs for the incident. He served his suspension during the series break, between May and August. Swiss Sport Integrity has not wanted to comment on Peltonen’s case to Blick because the investigation is ongoing.
The agent regrets the case
Aleksi Peltonen’s agent Juho Sintonen reminds Urheilu that many other well-known hockey players suffer from type 1 diabetes, such as Kaapo Kakowho has spoken about the subject openly in public.
Sintonen cannot estimate how long it will take to investigate the Peltonen case. However, Sintonen believes that things will move forward, because “the chairman of the club is one of Switzerland’s best-known lawyers”.
– In Switzerland, it is customary that when one paper is not sent, then two truckloads of papers have to be sent.
For Peltonen, who is playing his first professional season, the situation is in any case miserable, or as Sintonen describes, “completely unnecessary”.
– It would be cruel if we were punished for having diabetes, when 400 million people have it.
Also Aleksi Peltonen’s twin brother, defender Jesper Peltonen plays in Switzerland. He debuted in the Swiss league last season with Kloten, but now represents Lugano.
With Aleksi Peltonen in Davos, the Finns also have a defender Kristian Visible. An assistant coach can be found on the coaching ladder Walter Immonen and goalkeeper coach Markus Ketterer.