2001 World Nordic Ski Championships in Lahti

Thursday, 1st March 2001 - former head coach of Finnish male skiers’ team Kari-Pekka Kyrö makes an announcement in which he tries to explain the reason why Jari Isometsä, Janne Immonen, Harri Kirvesniemi, Mika Myllylä, Milla Jauho and Virpi Kuitunen tested positive for the banned plasma volume expander hydroxyethyl starch, or HES at the championships held at home in Lahti. The reason turned out to be prosaic - anti-doping experts had managed to keep the new testing method secret from athletes and coaches until the last moment. Ex-coach claimes too much fuss is made of the affair which is nothing worthy of scandal. “Heavy responsibility at the contest held at home forced us to take risks. We were sure nobody will be caught,” Kyro says.

Although plasma volume expander entered on the list of banned substances a year ago, it happened only in Lahti that the athletes were first tested for it The reason is simple - there was no way to detect traces of HES in urine before. Athletes and the public were informed of the new method a few days before the championships started, on 14 February. “For many the HES tests came as a total surprise,” said Antti Leinonen, doping chemist at Associated Laboratories. “Before official press release we didn’t tell a soul.”
The following people, implicated in the scandal, were relieved of their duties: the team’s physician Juha-Pekka Turpeinen, the director of cross-country skiers’ team Antti Leppävuori, the head coach of Finnish male skiers Kari-Pekka Kyrö as well as the head coach of female skiers Jarmo Riski.
A common opinion is that an athlete using banned substances violates the rules of fair play. He/she is stripped of won medals and banned from competing. Even if the punished manage to make a comeback , their “dope athlete’s fame” will not fade from peoples’ mind.