First, complex but important information on the border of chemistry and law. According to the regulations of the European Union and the European Economic Area, fluorine compounds in the C8 variant are prohibited in production, sale and use. More precisely, it is the type of fluorine that has eight fully fluorinated carbon atoms. and the International Biathlon Union agreed that the use of these compounds in the lubrication of skis should be banned.
It is extremely important in both disciplines. Such a ban meant a revolution in the approach to the preparation of equipment. When the ski rubs against snow during your run, water is produced automatically. Snow simply condenses, which we may not notice with the naked eye. Water naturally limits the speed of movement while skiing. Therefore, it was the servimen who needed something to separate the water from the structure of the skis quickly. And that’s what fluoride particles in the wax were used for. He is responsible for pushing the water aside as quickly as possible. As a result, the ski has a better glide and runs faster.
There is a prohibition, but it’s a dead recipe. Because there are no devices to control
– When we tested paraffin with and without fluoride, we noticed a big difference in favor of the one with fluoride. Over a distance of 20 meters, we talked about an advantage of two or three meters. Now let’s think that someone is running 10 km. After counting it all, we get a difference of about 300 meters. In high-level races, a loss of up to 30 seconds may result. A lot – explains Dawid Bril, assistant head coach of the youth team in running in
Originally, the regulation prohibiting the use of substances was to apply from the 2020/2021 season. However, the group appointed by the FIS and IBU to develop the Fluorine Tracker – a handy device that will immediately detect the presence of fluorine lubricant on skis – did not have time to prepare it. The ban was therefore introduced a year later, just before the Olympic season. The problem is that the device is not there anyway. There is also no provision in the FIS regulations that would allow the jury to disqualify potential cheaters. In one word – a dead recipe.
Fraudsters may triumph in Beijing. The worst thing is that we may never know the truth
The lack of possibility of precise verification causes that it may be broken. This type of situation had already taken place. During January’s Scandinavian cross-country skiing competition in Falun, several Swedish runners were going to be successful using fluoride lubricants. The case came to light because the competition organizer noticed powders with the forbidden substance C8 in the servismen room.
The technical delegate found out about everything and handed over the suspicions to the world federation. “It’s a scam,” Pierre Mignerey, the director quoted by NRK, had no doubts. The Swedes were victorious in all six events. Three of them belonged to an excellent sprinter – Jonny Sundling. However, the FIS did not reveal which players were to use the banned substance.
In addition, on January 18, the industry website langrenn.com published a report in which the technical delegate from the Falun competition did not rule out that the Norwegian teams also used prohibited fluoride. There is no certainty, but there are suspicions. And this only underlines the seriousness of the problem and the danger of fraud during the Beijing Olympics.
Although the producers swear that they no longer deal with the preparation of powders with fluoride, some teams are to supply it. It is unofficially said that after the introduction of the ban by the EU and EEA, the substance was sold on the black market. The fears of the Olympics are therefore justified. – We certainly won’t know if anyone is using it, but on the other hand, in the biathlon there is a situation that if there is a substance with a high percentage of fluorine in the servismen’s cabins, it may mean disqualification. There is some control, but it is also known that if someone wants to, he is always troubling. Difficult situation to evaluate. We know that the possibility of cheating exists – says Sport.pl Tomasz Sikora, Olympic vice-champion in 2006.
The police raided service booths. “They beat everything. They took and touched”
Poles assure that they stopped fluoride completely. And they worry that they may lose during various events. Some nations, during behind-the-scenes talks, even laughed at the fact that a regulation was introduced that could not be enforced. They were also to emphasize that they would not give up the use of forbidden substances. – In a week and a half we will go to the Junior World Championships in Norway. We will not have fluoride powders, but someone will pull it out and we will lose a lot. After all, no one will check it, because how – David Bril worries.
The police are involved in controlling the possession of banned fluorides in some countries. Especially in Germany, it often organizes “raids”, during which officers check service booths. This is almost like controlling your anti-doping rule compliance.
The tighter controls were also supposed to be before the departure to China. – I saw the police checking all the crates and their contents and asking questions. I don’t know what exactly was going on because the police didn’t translate anything. Our servicemen only told me that they thoroughly brushed everything through, Bril tells us. In Beijing, the ban on fluoride is not introduced by state regulations, so there will be no police checks there.
The temperature will rise, will there be a scandal?
The inspection took place during the Tour de Ski. The uniforms searched the servismen thoroughly, and they were to take several substances for further research. So far, however, no irregularities in the highest rank competitions have been revealed. As the assistant to the main trainer of our young runners says – if there is no precise control, someone can simply transfer the packaging powders to the permitted ones, or simply tear off the labels.
– When I read about the fact that there is no verification device yet, and that work on the prohibition provision is already in progress, I thought it was pointless. Someone hurried up – claims Sikora. – It is not about sport, for the police to pursue players like criminals. And that’s what it looks like. Those organizations that enact the regulations should have some control. Now they turn to the police, which have other tasks as well – he adds.
It’s freezing cold in China right now. Under these conditions, fluoride does not offer a huge advantage. The warmer it is, the more water is under the skis. As Norwegian journalists Dagbladet write: “In the midst of the global climate crisis, it is certainly possible that traditional winter weather in northern China will suddenly change, and higher temperatures and rainfall will turn the Olympic Games into a sports scandal. associated with fluorides “.
Source: Sport
Tristin is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
