Re:
This whole thing just gets more confusing by the day. The more Johaug, Bendiksen and the NSF try to add to the story, the whereabouts, the testing, the package, the lip sores, the pharmacy, etc...the more it gets confusing. From past doping related stories/issues and subsequent investigations, the more a story gets complicated the less of a chance there is any validity in it. Going down this road might be ok with the Norwegian public and Johaug's teammates/coaches, but I am not sure that WADA, FIS and CAS will agree. Then again, I am not really sure what to believe from any of these organizations anymore. Maybe Johaug IS telling the truth and is trying to get as much sympathy as possible because testing positive for an anabolic steroid will get you serious ban and she's trying to sway the people who control the next 1-4 years of her ski career.
My feeling, like some of you here, is that they are just trying to spin this as much as possible and get as much support as possible from the Norwegian public, and possibly from other foreign skiers. There is a chance that FIS and WADA/CAS will feel more reluctant to ban her. Nobody wants to ban the top skier in the world, right? Particularly not one like Johaug, who is very marketable. I don't want to get into nationalities and preferences, but I have no doubt that had she been a Russian, Finnish, Italian, heck even Swedish, everyone would be calling for her head and for her to be banned for at least 2 years. If it was a Russian, we'd be yelling for her to be banned for life and for the team to be suspended from all racing this season.
bambino said:Do I recall right that there were news which said Bendiksen only handed over the tube and not the full package to Johaug? Just asking because apparently she has said today that it was actually herself who threw the package and instruction to carpage, thus she did receive the full package (with the famous doping sign) from Bendiktsen.
This whole thing just gets more confusing by the day. The more Johaug, Bendiksen and the NSF try to add to the story, the whereabouts, the testing, the package, the lip sores, the pharmacy, etc...the more it gets confusing. From past doping related stories/issues and subsequent investigations, the more a story gets complicated the less of a chance there is any validity in it. Going down this road might be ok with the Norwegian public and Johaug's teammates/coaches, but I am not sure that WADA, FIS and CAS will agree. Then again, I am not really sure what to believe from any of these organizations anymore. Maybe Johaug IS telling the truth and is trying to get as much sympathy as possible because testing positive for an anabolic steroid will get you serious ban and she's trying to sway the people who control the next 1-4 years of her ski career.
My feeling, like some of you here, is that they are just trying to spin this as much as possible and get as much support as possible from the Norwegian public, and possibly from other foreign skiers. There is a chance that FIS and WADA/CAS will feel more reluctant to ban her. Nobody wants to ban the top skier in the world, right? Particularly not one like Johaug, who is very marketable. I don't want to get into nationalities and preferences, but I have no doubt that had she been a Russian, Finnish, Italian, heck even Swedish, everyone would be calling for her head and for her to be banned for at least 2 years. If it was a Russian, we'd be yelling for her to be banned for life and for the team to be suspended from all racing this season.