Johan Esk: Medicate masters gives the sport credibility problem

Panelhönor soon-to-be uppfintade in the stands?

Or key personnel who ensure that the sport is getting cleaner?

When I look at dopningskontrollanterna sitting and waiting along the wall while the medalists meet the media, I don't know what it is I see in the biathlon world CUP's newsroom.

playing to the gallery or dopningsjägare that takes the sample as cheaters fear?

fall over Östersund. The doping scandal from the world ski CHAMPIONSHIPS in Seefeld is like a wet blanket even over the championship .

How clean is really this sport?

No one knows.

Now give the results lists is not clear guidance.

The kind of bloddopning medelmåttorna in Seefeld got busted for – you take out your own blood and put it back later – is difficult to detect but gives less effects.

the kind of doping, the International biathlon union suspect when nine racers from Kazakhstan was shut down in november, after the investigations in Austria and Italy. One of the riders, Galina Vishnevskaya, may still compete here in Östersund, sweden, but was far, far from the lead in Friday's sprint.

Is this sort of violation of the sport's big dopningsproblem 2019 or are there other forbidden shortcuts that are not detected?

No one knows.

in the Past could have a doped athlete's great success to an explanation when he or she was caught in a test or acknowledged.

Now Kazakhstan's Alexey Poltoranin single star, which was taken by the police. He recognized the first, took it back and the question is whether his achievements through his career have been taken by prohibited means?

No one knows.

And at the same time:

Martin Johnsrud Sundby its first individual world CHAMPIONSHIP gold medals. He has become dopningsdömd for the abuse of asthma medication.

IN the OLYMPICS last year were Marit Bjørgen to end his career as the best skier on the women's side. Her career picked up when she got an exemption to use an asthma medication that was then dopningsklassad.

When I came home from Seefeld there were three things people wanted to talk about.

Frida Karlsson's breakthrough, Charlotte Called stafettsträcka and suspicion towards Norway's success.

Is it just asthma medication behind Norway's gold? No. It is snövintrar in large parts of the country and that all children will test to go skiing is the biggest reason. But a lot of Norwegian skiers and asthmatics.

And how does that affect asthma medication the ability to go faster on skis?

No one knows.

Or. All KNOW.

the abuse of drugs, particularly asthma drugs, so long and much that I have gotten lots of tips and comments and overconfident statements from doctors and researchers and other experts. (Continue to hear from you.)

One side says without a doubt that it does not give any effect. The other side says sure-fire that as the sport's limits are so high against what is recommended for an ordinary patient, so it is possible to get more muscle power and better recovery.

The latter side often refers to the Danish professor Vibeke Backer and her team at the Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen, denmark.

Myself, I stand as a layman in the middle between and answer to all who wonder about the effect:

No one knows.

It is in Norway.

According to earlier studies made, 60% of Swedish national team skaters asthma. It looks about the same in Norway. I can of privacy reasons, we do not express an opinion on the team when I was with.

" Looking at all the swedes have about five per cent of asthma.

He who speaks is called Per Andersson but called always ”Pliggen”. He was skidlandslagets doctor until last season and now works for the Swedish olympic committee.

He describes what happened in Seefeld, where police officers seized the racers with the needle in the arm as a ”punch to the face”.

– What the heck are we doing? I'm going to keep on and dedicate myself to this, " says Andersson about the feelings when the news came.

from Seefeld made him happier. It was another Andersson. Ebba started not when she had the sensations in the windpipe.

" I will be tremendous happy when I hear stuff like that. For there is an important ethical discussion. Are we going to get our athletes to the start at any price?

The question wanted to then the doctor of the national team lifting with an op-ed in the DN and an interview I did during the world ski CHAMPIONSHIPS in Lahti 2017.

”Pliggen” Andersson wanted to put some light on the use and abuse of medicine in general and asthma medication in particular. He met little understanding of their läkarkollegor in the other team when the question came up at a meeting. He met with resistance and silence.

" At that meeting, I was afraid. I became afraid of every längdskidåkningen is on the way, he said, and continued:

" What makes me upset is that the use of athletes as subjects in a way that we don't do within the regular health care.

Two years later, " says Andersson some things happened and that some development is going in the right direction. As to the questioning of asthma medication in sport increased, both among the active and public. Sweden has set its own, lower limits than the Wada and Norway have created new guidelines for how and when asthma medication may be used.

international sport medicine during the two days was the treatment of asthma, the big question. It had, according to Andersson not have happened without the debate that was started after the city of Lahti.

Per ”Pliggen” Andersson still think that the most important issue need to be investigated:

Why are so many Norwegian and Swedish längdåkare affected by asthma? It is so simple that they train a lot and hard in the cold and dry air in the young years?

And a question that Andersson and I'm thinking as much on is:

Why have not the russians problem with asthma among athletes?

Both Hanna Oberg and Mona Brorsson did brilliant effort in the world CUP sprint. Hanna was four, and Mona story. Hanna was only six tenths behind the third placed Laura Dahlmeier.

Six tenths of a percentage point from the world CHAMPIONSHIP medal on home soil. Or as it is called in skidskyttespråk – edge out.

Both the swedes showed that åkformen is good and the location is excellent for Sunday's pursuit.