A few feathers will almost certainly be ruffled this weekend when Kaisa Varis, one of the most controversial figures in Finnish skiing, makes a comeback to competitive sport in a national biathlon event in Kontiolahti. On Saturday Varis will take part in a sprint competition, followed by a pursuit event on Sunday.
In March of this year the International Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) overturned on a technicality Varis’s lifetime ban from the sport. Varis’s permission to take part in competitions was reinstated after a six-month waiting period, during which time she had again been subjected to doping testing.
Varis, who turned 34 in September, currently represents the Central Finland sports club Kuikan Kisailijat.
In Kontiolahti the field that Varis will be racing against includes the young promise Sarianna Repo, who competed in the national team in Östersund at the turn of the month.
The last time Kaisa Varis was seen with a competition number decorating her chest was in the Oberhof World Cup event in January 2008, where she gave a positive doping sample containing EPO hormone.
She had earlier (in 2003) been suspended for two years for a similar offence while competing as a cross-country skier at the World Championships in Val di Fiemme.
She later qualified (after serving her ban) for the 2006 Olympics, but was not selected. She made the switch to biathlon in 2007.
