A former doping convict in a very small sport – VG

Just updated

–

– Let me be completely honest … I do not quite remember what situation it was, but it is starting to be quite a few years since I lost little respect for the Sports Gala. So I do not bother to bother with it anymore, says Daniel André Tande in podkasten “Hoppcast” and continues:

– I feel there are a little too many awards that go to people who strictly speaking should not have been nominated at all. A bit like falling and digging down here, so I will not say much more.

Teammate Johann André Forfang takes the floor in the podcast that was recorded the day after the Sports Gala:

– I can mention that there are quite a few good female athletes in Norway, but the award yesterday went to a former doping convict in a very small sport.

Therese Johaug won the award for female athlete of the year after taking four golds during the Ski World Cup 2021. In 2016, she tested positive for the anabolic steroid clostebol. According to Johaug, the reason was the use of cream against sunburned lip.

The cross-country star was first banned in 13 months by the Judging Committee of the Norwegian Sports Confederation. The International Ski Federation (FIS) was not satisfied with the sentence and the appeal, which led the case to the CAS (International Court of Arbitration for Sport), where she was banned from all sports for 18 months.

– I do not want to elaborate further, says Forfang when VG confronts him with the statement in the podcast.

VG has been in contact with Therese Johaug’s manager, Jørn Ernst, who says that neither he nor Johaug himself wants to comment on the statements.

Jury leader for the sports gala and top sports manager Tore Øvrebø and cross-country manager Espen Bjervig also do not want to comment on the case.

National team manager for the national jumping team Clas Brede Bråthen tells VG that the association has no editorial responsibility for the podcast.

– It is adult boys who must vouch for their own opinions. These are statements that they make, and we do not put any restrictions on them. And we do not have editorial responsibility in that podcast. They choose to run the cases they want to run, says the national team manager.

VG has not succeeded in getting in touch with Daniel André Tande. Marius Lindvik and Halvor Egner Granerud were also on the podcast.

–