Kaisa Varis’s doping case will not cause Finnish Biathlon Association to lose state funding

Kaisa Varis

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The EPO doping bust of biathlete Kaisa Varis will not cause the Finnish Biathlon Association to lose its government funding. The Ministry of Education based its decision on a clarification of the Varis affair made by the Association.
      According to the Ministry, the Association practices appropriate anti-doping measures, and its staff and trustees were not involved in the doping offence.
     
Executive director Janne Hakala of the Finnish Biathlon Association was understandably relieved after hearing the Ministry’s decision.
      "The decision did not really scare me, as I knew we had done everything we could", said Hakala, who has just returned home from the Biathlon World Championships in Östersund, Sweden.
      "Of course we could not be certain of the ministry’s reaction - not after something this unfortunate. But the matter was not up to us. We issued a thorough report and we welcome Wallin’s decision. It was a fair call."
     
The Finnish Biathlon Association’s government subsidy for this year is EUR 135,000. Last year EUR 125,000 was awarded to the organisation.
      "Had the state support been decreased, it would have made things rather difficult for us, as we have already suffered losses because of this. Even if we have had a couple of good years and are currently free of debt, the scraping up of sponsorship money always starts from zero", Hakala explained.
     
The Minister of Culture and Sports Stefan Wallin (Swedish People’s Party) nevertheless regards it as important that the Association intensifies the monitoring of its athletes’ haemoglobin values.
      "The minister’s message has to be taken seriously", Hakala commented.
      According to Hakala, the Association has not had enough money to hire a doctor to monitor the athletes’ blood image on every single training camp.
      Even in the future, hiring a doctor who would follow the athletes everywhere "will not be financially possible".
     
The Ministry asked the Association, among other things, to clarify if the FBA or any of its staff had contributed to Varis’s doping offence, and how the Association has taken into account the ethical principles of sports.
      In addition, an explanation was demanded on how the Association has ensured the doping surveillance, which was one of the conditions for the state subsidy, and the related tests, training, and education in 2007 and 2008.
     
Furthermore, the Finnish Biathlon Association was asked for a clarification into the doping testing of the women’s national team. Additional questions concerning Varis’s coaches were also included. In addition, the Ministry wanted to know how Varis’s training and medical treatments as well as the haemoglobin values of the entire national team have been monitored.
      The Ministry confirms that according to the issued report the anti-doping activities have been carried out appropriately and due account has been taken of the fight against doping in sport.
     
Varis gave the doping sample that led to her second time of testing positive on January 6th in Oberhof, Germany.
      On a previous occasion Kaisa Varis was found guilty of doping in 2003, when she gave a positive sample at the FIS Nordic Skiing World Championships in Val di Fiemme.
      Earlier this week, the International Biathlon Union (IBU) imposed a lifetime ban from the sport on Varis.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Kaisa Varis given lifetime ban by International Biathlon Union (12.2.2008)

Helsingin Sanomat