From the time that Öystein Pettersen was twelve, his father Ole-Jörgen has been skiing. Pettersen quit as active this spring. The highlight was the Olympic gold in sprint relay with Petter Northug in Vancouver 2010. There were several hours in the daddy booth for the dad, often with the health-threatening fluorine.
Fluorine is banned in youth classes in Norway and will be banned in the EU next year. Ulvang, who leads cross-country skiing within the international ski association Fis, emphasizes that the ban must be maintained with a good control system. At the Norwegian Youth Championships for 14-15 year olds, half of the active members cheated, Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet reports.
The ban must be followed up with a safe test method- Fluorine has to be removed from the ski sport. At the same time, we must come up with a safe test method. Without it, a ban has little value, says Ulvang.
According to Ulvang, fluorine-coated skis have greater effects than doping for an active and the issue has been discussed for several years.
Öystein suffers with his father, who set up for his son all these hours in the ballroom.
- We still know too little about this. We do not know what it means and what health problems it causes or can cause. But I have to be honest that it is a little painful to think about. If it has negative health effects, it is not a good feeling, says Öystein.
Father Ole-Jörgen is both self-critical and critical of the rulers.
- Of course we have the idea to protect ourselves better, we do not want to appear brain dead. But there is nothing that has been noticed by either the ski association or the Olympiad (Norway's SOK) and so much would be secret, says Ole-Jörgen, who felt that the body had been strangely strung after a weekend in the ballpark.