Biathlon Association accuses former boss of covering up doping

Icon: enlarge

Anders Besseberg: Not interested in protecting sport from fraud?

Photo: Martin Schutt / dpa

The former head of the IBU Biathlon World Federation around former President Anders Besseberg is said to have helped cover up Russian doping cases for decades.

The independent external review commission (ERC) of the world association IBU accuses the old association leadership in a final report of "systematically corrupt and unethical behavior".

Between 2008 and 2018, Besseberg and later also the former Secretary General Nicole Resch apparently "protected interests of the Russian association, especially in connection with the fight against doping, without good reason," the report said.

Besseberg and Resch, who both resigned in 2018, deny the allegations.

Above all, Besseberg, who headed the association from 1993 to 2018, apparently had no regard for "ethical values ​​and had no real interest in protecting sport from fraud" even before 2008, according to the commission.

Besseberg is said to have been rewarded by the Russians with bribes, "hunting trips and prostitutes," the report said.

The Thuringian Resch is said to have not been consistent in the persecution of Russian doping sinners.

For health reasons, she could not be questioned during the examination.

"Without control, without transparency"

"The total lack of basic security in the IBU meant that the previous IBU leadership could act without scrutiny, without transparency and without accountability," said ERC Chairman Jonathan Taylor.

The incumbent IBU President Olle Dahlin said he was "shocked about the wrongdoing" of his predecessors, but at the same time grateful that it was cleared up.

In November 2018, the IBU Executive Committee commissioned the ERC to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the allegations against Besseberg and Resch.

This was preceded by numerous raids in which indications of hushed up doping cases and a gigantic corruption swamp were found.

These allegations have now been corroborated by the 70,000 documents examined in the course of the independent investigation and around 60 interviews carried out.

The investigation report did not name any concrete consequences for Resch and Besseberg.

Only the Biathlon Integrity Unit, created in 2019, can decide on a disciplinary charge and consequences in biathlon, and that should happen in the coming weeks.

Investigations by the Austrian public prosecutor's office for business and corruption have been ongoing since the end of 2017 into suspected doping and fraud as well as accepting gifts.

Besseberg and Resch have always denied the allegations.

The two officials had left their offices in April 2018.

Criminal investigations are still ongoing against Besseberg in Norway and against Resch in Austria.

Both have not yet been charged with a criminal offense, so long the presumption of innocence applies, it said.

Icon: The mirror

ptz / dpa / Reuters / sid