Arrests in Seefeld: 5 World Cup cross-country skiers taken away

In Seefeld, two members of the criminal group and five top athletes were arrested on the basis of court-approved orders and seven house searches were carried out.

The arrested athletes are two Austrian, one Kazakh and two Estonian top athletes. The Kazakhs are probably the multiple World Cup winner Alexey Poltoranin, the Estonians are probably Andreas Veerpalu and Karel Tammjärv. There is a presumption of innocence, but none of the suspected athletes took part in the 15-kilometer classic race. The arrested Austrians were police athletes from the cross-country skiing squad. According to ÖSV racing director Markus Gandler, these are 26-year-old Dominik Baldauf from Vorarlberg and Max Hauke from Styria, who are the same age, both of whom came sixth in the cross-country classic team sprint at the World Championships in Seefeld.

House searches also in Germany At the same time as the actions in Tyrol, a sports doctor and a German accomplice were arrested in Germany, according to the Federal Criminal Police Office (BK). Nine house searches took place in the neighboring country.

As part of an international investigation that has been ongoing for several months on suspicion of commercial sports fraud and the use of illegal substances and methods for doping purposes, a German-based criminal organization led by a 40-year-old sports doctor was investigated, according to a BK statement. Connection with the “Dürr” cause The criminal group operating from Erfurt is strongly suspected of having "been carrying out blood doping on top athletes for years in order to increase their performance in national and international competitions and thereby generate illegal income," it said.

In Austria there had already been official actions against the teams from Kazakhstan and Russia at the 2017 Biathlon World Cup in Hochfilzen and at the 2018 World Cup there. A few weeks ago, the Austrian cross-country skier Johannes Dürr reported in a detailed TV doping confession about banned blood doping practices in Germany. As Dieter Csefan from the Federal Criminal Police Office explained at a press conference on Wednesday in Innsbruck, these statements are also related to current developments.

Football

Italy

International leagues

International

Winter sports

Hockey

Tennis

Other sports

Motorsport

Cycling

Watersports

Events

Favorites

Arrests in Seefeld: 5 World Cup cross-country skiers taken away

Authorities arrested nine people in 16 house searches in a coordinated operation dubbed “Operation Aderlass” during the Nordic World Ski Championships in Seefeld on Wednesday. Among those arrested are two Austrian World Cup cross-country skiers and a multiple World Cup winner.

Suggestions

Comments (0)