Anders Besseberg, 78, found guilty of accepting gifts from Russian officials. Former boss of the International Biathlon Federation (IBU) from 1993 to 2018.
World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) welcomes conviction. Besseburg: "I am of course disappointed and surprised by this decision and certain reasoning of the judges. I am appealing immediately" He was initially accused of having allowed himself to be bribed to hide cases of Russian doping, but that part of the charges was later dropped, according to media reports.. WADA considers the verdict “as a warning to other administrators who threaten the integrity of sport’. The case broke out thanks to an investigation started in 2016 by its intelligence service based on information provided by a confidential source. The prosecution had requested three years and seven months in prison and a fine of one million crowns (more than 88,000 euros). The court did not impose a fine but ordered Besseber to return the gifts worth 1.4 million crownS.