Doping Coach Not Welcomed By FIS, International Coaches
FasterSkierOctober 11, 2004 secretary general Sarah Lewis also said that the Finnish ski federation had agreed to adhere to the lifetime FIS ban and had decided that Riski would not be a part of their program in the future. </p>
<p>However, the FIS has, according to Norwegian newspaper VG, noted that Jarmo Riski is coaching Finnish cross country skiers, but they will never let him in at FIS-events.</p>
<p>Riski is now back again as personal coach for three of the skiers on the Finnish team, including Virpi Kuitunen who was caught for doping in Lahti. Riski was her personal coach at that point as well.</p>
<p>– We have heard about this case. We talked to the Finnish ski federation on Wednesday, and were told that he is coaching one or two of the women on the team. He is not hired or working for the team, says Lewis.</p>
<p>Norwegian television TV2 showed however video of Riski at a training camp with the Finnish team in Val Senales in Italy earlier this week. He did not want to say what he was doing there, but was dressed in Finnish national team clothing and stood together with Finnish skiers and filmed video.</p>
<p>– We can’t control or interfere with what’s going on outside FIS-events said Lewis. You have to talk to the Finnish ski federation about that, underlines Lewis following questions about what Riski did with the Finnish team.</p>
<p>But what do you feel about him now being observed with the Finish team during a training camp?</p>
<p>-We have no opinion about that. We have rules and they need to be followed, was Lewis’ only comment.</p>
<p>Ilina Hienola, the Finnish federation’s press person was contacted several times that day by NTB with no luck.</p>
<p>Norwegian Coaches Reaction</p>
<p>Norwegian cross country chief of sport Bjornar Hakensmoen reacted hard to the news that Riski is now back coaching Finnish skiers.</p>
<p>– The people responsible for the scandal are not the right ones to be a part of building up Finnish skiing if confidence is going to be restored, says Hakenmoen in an interview with Norwegian newspaper VG. He feels it is a very dumb move by the Finns to use Riski in the coaching of Finland’s top skiers.</p>
<p>In Finland the situation is viewed as unproblematic. The Finnish head coach told TV2 that the coach no longer is “black-listed†in Finland. Riski received in January permission from the Finnish Sport Federation to again hold sport jobs, but however only inside Finland’s borders.</p>
<p>Source: Langrenn.com and VG.no</p>
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