Winter Olympics - Germany deny 'outrageous' ski claims as cross-country cheating storm erupts in Beijing
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Updated 19/02/2022 at 14:49 GMT
Germany's cross-country ski team have denied 'outrageous' accusations of using a banned ski wax to give their athletes an advantage at the Winter Olympics. A Finnish newspaper reported that unnamed "insiders" in the sport suspected the Germans of cheating. But German coach Andreas Schlutter has denounced those accusations as "a lie." Germany have won a cross-country gold and silver.
'There are your champions' - Germany celebrate women's team sprint gold
The German cross-country skiing team have angrily denied suggestions that their Olympic athletes have been using a banned form of ski wax in Beijing.
Germany surprisingly beat heavily favoured Sweden to win gold in the women's team sprint and finished second in the women's 4x5km relay.
After those successes, Finnish newspaper Iltalehti reported that unnamed "insiders" in the sport were suspecting the Germans of using fluorinated wax containing so-called C8 fluorocarbons, which was banned last year by the International Ski Federation because of its negative environmental impact.
German team coach Andreas Schlutter has now denounced those accusations as "a lie."
"We certainly do not use C8 fluorine, as we no longer bring it with us. What they're writing is a lie," Schlutter told Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet. "The Finns must be disappointed over losing out on medals in the relay."
Using the right wax is one of the key components of cross-country skiing as the best setup for creating the perfect glide and grip is determined by the weather conditions and snow texture, meaning they can vary greatly from race to race. The top teams employ a horde of wax technicians who spend hours before each race testing different setups in the hope of giving their athletes a valuable advantage on the course.
The use of waxes containing C8 has been a hot topic leading up to the Beijing Games as the chemical is not banned in China and the FIS has admitted it was unclear whether any tests would be conducted during the Olympics to determine if such waxes had been used.
Stefan Schwarzbach, a member of the German Ski Association's board of directors, also denied that the team have been using C8 waxes.
"We normally do not comment on anonymous accusations, even more so when they are so outrageous," Schwarzbach told Eurosport. "But to make it clear: The German Ski Association adheres to all guidelines and rules. And we assume that this also applies to the other nations."
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The Olympic Games will return with Paris 2024, live on Eurosport and discovery+.
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