Janne Haarala, the coach of the Norwegian alpine team, talks about human error.
Ragnhild Mowinckel’s opening race of the season ended in rejection in Sölden. PDO
Norwegian alpine skier Ragnhild Mowinckel became the first athlete to be disqualified by the International Ski Federation’s ban on fluoride creams.
The ban that caused a stir was introduced in the World Cups at the start of this season. For the first time, athletes’ skis were tested in a new way in Sölden, Austria, in October.
In the very first race, there was a rattle when the jury rejected Mowinckel in the giant slalom. The measuring device showed that Norwegian skis contain more than the permitted amount of fluoride.
– Our own measuring device looked exactly the same as Fisi’s device, that is, fluorine was found on Mowinckel’s skis and it is an automatic rejection. We were aware of the rules before the start of the season.
– The event then started a process of its own, and not least our own internal process. We wanted to find out exactly what happened and why, the coach of the Norwegian alpine team Janne Haarala tells Iltalehte.
My mistake
Haarala is the head coach of technical sports in the Norwegian women’s national team.
– In the end, it turned out to be a human error. It was our maintenance man’s own mistake. The ski factory had used certain old products that had been in contact with fluoride. It caused rejection.
– The cream itself was clean, Haarala says.
The fluoride cream ban applies to all sports under the International Ski Federation Fis, including cross-country skiing.
Ahead
Janne Haarala already has several years behind her as the coach of the Norwegian women’s technical sports national team. TIMO KUNNARI
The Norwegian team investigated the matter and accepted the athlete’s disqualification.
– We have discussed the matter. It was important to get clarity on that. We have learned about it, and we must learn from it. We have full credit to our servicemen. You can’t get the past back, so let’s move on, as the man from Tampere says.
How did the athlete react to it?
– At first, of course, it was a severe disappointment. Then he was relieved, because we were sure from the beginning that we had not used the wrong methods. It also worked out for all the athletes, says Haarala.
A gapless system?
After this landing, traces of fluoride were found in Ragnhild Mowinckel’s skis. The reason for this is the human error of the maintenance man in Norway. PDO
The fluoride ban is a new thing and the measuring devices used are new. There must be a risk of mistakes.
– The machine recognizes fluorine, and that is its main purpose. Some of the teams and ski factories have those measuring devices. When the device is updated by Fis, the updates also come to the teams’ devices.
– I hope there are no mistakes in this matter. But I can’t say whether the system is now leak-free. I don’t know if anyone can answer that, Haarala thinks.
In Lapland
Snow sports superstar Mikaela Shiffrin trained at Levi about a week before the World Cup competition. The American won Sunday’s race. It was already Shiffrin’s seventh victory in Finland. KIMMO BRANDT / AOP
Haarala’s troops trained in Levi before the World Cup weekend. The team is still there. Finnish Lapland now offers great snow conditions for alpine skiing stars.
In many places in the Alps, the land is still green.
– Winter came to Finland early. Levi now offers the best framework for training. We are here for two and a half weeks in total. It’s a suitable clip in the camo, Lahti man Haarala laughs.