Ragnhild Mowinckel was rejected for fluoride cream.
Ragnhild Mowinckel was abandoned in Sölden. PDO
Alpine skiing star Ragnhild Mowinckel has been rejected because of fluoride cream in Sölden, Austria, news Norwegian TV2.
The international skiing federation Fis imposed a fluoride cream ban for this season, which applies to all sports under the umbrella organization. Fis’s fluoride cream ban is therefore also valid in the cross-country world cup.
According to TV2, cream was found on Mowinckel’s skis ten times over the allowed limit.
Mowinckel was sixth after the opening round of the women’s giant slalom. He was dismissed immediately after the bill.
– All skis were tested after the first descent round, and only this pair was found to have a fluoride content exceeding the limit value. The jury had no choice but to disqualify the athlete, Fis’s judge Peter Gerold commented to TV2.
Mowinckel held back tears after the rejection.
– We are not trying to cheat. We have tested skis before and we have been within the regulations.
Fis has postponed its fluoride cream ban several times due to unreliable testing equipment. Now the testing equipment is in order.
The EU banned the manufacture and sale of Pfas compounds in 2020. Many ski creams contained the banned compound, but in the 2020–2023 seasons cross-country skiing used fluoride creams that did not contain Pfas compounds. Fis said last spring that even skis will be banned from this season.
Iltalehti reported last April that fluoride is tested with a field test device. The value of one machine is around 25,000 euros.
Mowinckel’s coach Atle Skårdal said that the athlete was using the same testing device. According to Skårdal, they had bought a similar field test device that Fis uses in its own tests.
– We are lost at the moment. This seems unfair, Skårdal said.