Four Finnish skiers complained of too high fluoride concentrations at the Scandinavia Cup in Otepää, Estonia last weekend.
Evening newspaper and Evening News reported over the weekend that four Finnish skiers were disqualified from the Skandinavia Cup competition held in Otepää, Estonia, due to fluoride found on their skis. Too high fluorine concentrations caused them to shrivel Lauri Lepistö, Olli-Pekka Laitila, Rebecca Immonen and Anni Kaipainen.
Maintenance manager of the national team Mika Ström commented to Iltasanom that two of the athletes who were caught had not cleaned their skis well enough. The other two athletes, on the other hand, skied with old racing pairs, the fluorine on the soles of which had corroded to the surface after the 20-kilometer traditional skiing race.
According to Iltasanom, the Finnish maintenance team had not received information that the limit value of fluoride content had been lowered from 1.8 to 1.0 at the Otepää Games. Cross-country competition director of the International Ski Federation FIS By Michal Lamplot however, the new limit value entered into force on January 1. The limit value is valid throughout the season and the teams have been informed about it.
– Before the start of the season, we raised the limit to 1.8. However, we agreed that we will review the situation at the next meeting before Christmas. The Council then decided at the meeting that the limit value will be reduced back to 1.0, Lamplot tells Urheilu.
National team lubrication manager Heikki Tonteri is confused by Lamplot’s statements.
– At least I haven’t been informed about it, and neither has our leading fluoride cream expert Teemu Lemmettyä knew nothing about it. The matter only became clear after the Otepää case.
Tonteri feels that the calculation of the limit value has no significance in terms of slippage.
– There’s no point in fiddling between 1.0 and 1.8. This only causes unnecessary stress and confuses the deck.
Tonteri does not take a more detailed position on the events in Otepää, but admits that the fluoride ban makes it difficult for national level skiers. Tonteri himself was not there in Otepää.
Athletes who competed in the Skandinavia Cup are not part of the A national team. However, Lepistö and Immonen have competed in individual World Cup competitions this season.
– The situation is difficult especially for those skiers who have not participated in the World Cup games, because their skis have not been measured in the same way as the skis of those who ski in the World Cup.
According to Tonter, calculating the limit value had no effect on the Tour de Ski, for example. Tens or even hundreds of skis used in the World Cup have been tested several times with the national team’s own measuring equipment and with the organizers’ equipment. Fewer than five pairs of skis have exceeded the 1.0 threshold.
– However, I hope for better information from FIS in matters related to the fluoride ban.
FIS has the measurement results of all the teams’ skis, but the teams have not received information about the testing results. Only the average values have been reported.
– If a skier’s skis have been, for example, 1.0 or 1.2, then it would be good to know that there are problems with that pair of skis. We only know that the ski has passed the measurement, says Tonteri.
The events at Otepää do not affect the preparations at the Oberhof
The national team has strict instructions regarding skis. Skis suspected of containing fluoride may not be brought onto the truck.
– The truck is fluoride-free, so you can’t clean fluoride from skis there. Athletes have been given instructions on how to clean their skis, says Heikki Tonteri.
The skiing World Cup season continues this weekend in Oberhof, Germany. The team includes a few athletes from outside the national team. According to Tonter, the Otepää case does not affect the preparations for the weekend much. Skis may be waxed with fluoride-free creams. The maintenance team does not have its own measuring equipment with it this time.
– We have sent a message to the skiers that skis that have been skied domestically during the season with fluorine creams must be cleaned with special care at home before bringing them to the truck.