The Finnish police said Monday that the so-called STT doping case would proceed to the consideration of charges stage and confirmed that there were six suspects.
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) launched the inquiry last year after Kari-Pekka Kyrö, a former head coach of the Finnish cross-country team, said that “a systematic doping culture” had prevailed in the Finnish Ski Association with the consent of the top brass of the governing body.
“The case will proceed to the prosecution in due course, there is absolutely no doubt about that,” Chief Inspector Pauli Huuskonen, the head of the investigation at the NBI, told the Finnish News Agency (STT) late on Monday.
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2 comments
Vesa
September 27, 2009 at 5:57 pm
Some may confuse this as a new doping story related to active world cup skiers or coaches – that is not the case.
The Finnish police is re-investigating a 1999 court decision and specifically sworn statements made by then-active coaches and athletes. In 1998 the Finnish news agency STT published allegations that there was an ongoing doping program within the Finnish ski team. The skier named in the story (Jari Rasanen) and the coaches sued for defamation – and won in court with fines levied against the reporters. The police investigation is focused whether there was a miscarriage of justice in that case.
The police investigation has now lasted almost 18 months and has now been delayed further as the police has not been able to interview one of the suspects due to an apparent illness.
Under suspicion of having made false statements in connection with the court case are two skiers – Jari Rasanen and Marjo Matikainen. Both ended their careers in the 1990s. The other four being investigated are Finnish Ski Team coaches or team managers from that era – Pekka Vahasoyrinki, Antti Leppavuori, Esa Klinga and Jari Piirainen. None of these individuals are involved with the present Finnish Ski Team.
The Finnish police is expected to conclude its investigation sometime early 2010 after which the case will be submitted to the prosecutor for consideration whether to press charges against one or more of the individuals mentioned above. So this story will most likely pop up again as the investigation proceeds at its slow pace.
T.Eastman
September 28, 2009 at 12:12 am
Vesa, thanks for clarifying the information in the article. With the names listed I was concerned with some type of abuse involving botox and viagra among the aging sport elite in Finland.