- FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2001
The FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2001 took place
February 15 -25,2001 inLahti ,Finland for a record sixth time, previous events being held in 1926, 1938, 1958, 1978 and 1989. These championships also saw the most event changes since the 1950s with the 5 km women and 10 km men's events being discontinued, the 10 km women and 15 km men's events return to their normal status for the first time since the 1991 championships, the debut of a combined pursuit as a separate category (5 km + 5 km for women, 10 km + 10 km for men), the addition of the individual sprint race for both genders, and the debut of the ski jumping team normal hill event. Extremely cold weather (-23oC / -9oF) cancelled the women's 30 km event. The biggest controversy occurred when a doping scandal hit the host nation of Finland, resulting in six disqualifications. This would serve as a prelude to further doping cases in cross country skiing at the Winter Olympics inSalt Lake City the following year.Men's cross country
1 km individual sprint
February 21 .2001 Finland's
Jari Isometsä finished second, but was disqualified for blood doping.30 km classical
February 19 ,2001 The Finnish team finished first, but was disqualified when
Janne Immonen tested positive for doping.Women's cross country
1 km individual sprint
February 21 ,2001 15 km classical
February 15 ,2001 15 km Individual Gundersen
February 15 ,2001 Individual large hill
February 19 ,2001 Doping controversy
The six Finnish skiers affected, referred to in several cross country skiing publications [ [http://www.xcskiworld.com/news/OpEd/doping.htm AXCS: Cross Country Skiing at xcskiworld.com ] ] [ [http://www.xcskiworld.com/news/OpEd/brenna.htm AXCS: Cross Country Skiing at xcskiworld.com ] ] [ [http://www.cirkus.ee/portfolio/lahti.htm I am looking for new challenges ] ] [ [http://www.sportsci.org/jour/0101/ss.htm Doping Disaster for Finnish Ski Team ] ] [ [http://www2.hs.fi/english/archive/news.asp?id=20031121IE6 HS Sport 21.11.2003 - Former skiing head coach to be charged with smuggling and fraud ] ] [ [http://www.fasterskier.com/news/0211News.html FasterSkier.com ] ] [ [http://www.skicountyusa.org/oldsite/Articles/2004_11/110504.htm Ski County USA . org ] ] [ [http://www.xcskiworld.com/news/Editor/editor_gold.htm AXCS: Cross Country Skiing at xcskiworld.com ] ] as the "Lahti Six" were four men (
Janne Immonen ,Jari Isometsä ,Harri Kirvesniemi , andMika Myllylä ) and two women (Milla Jauho andVirpi Kuitunen ). All six tested positive forhydroxyethyl starch , a bannedblood plasma expander. Kirvesniemi retired while the others served two year suspensions. Kuitunen is the only one of the "Lahti Six" that is still competitive as of2008 , having earned a bronze in the women's team sprint at the2006 Winter Olympics inTurin and four medals (including three gold) at theFIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2007 inSapporo .This incident, along with the doping disqualifications of
Olga Danilova ,Larisa Lazutina , andJohann Mühlegg at the2002 Winter Olympics inSalt Lake City andKaisa Varis at theFIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2003 inVal di Fiemme , would force theInternational Olympic Committee and theInternational Ski Federation to tighten up theirdrug testing procedures. Doping concerns were also strongly mentioned at the opening and closing ceremonies of the2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.Medal table
References
* [http://www.fis-ski.com/uk/medg/mgjp/mgwsc.html?category=§or=CC&season=2001&nbr=4&search=Search FIS 2001 Cross country results]
* [http://www.fis-ski.com/uk/medg/mgjp12/mgwsc.html?category=§or=NK&season=2001&nbr=4&search=Search FIS 2001 Nordic combined results]
* [http://www.fis-ski.com/uk/medg/mgjp12/mgwsc.html?category=§or=JP&season=2001&nbr=4&search=Search FIS 2001 Ski jumping results]
* [http://www.broadcast.ca/english/online/full/skiing/0303014/I1031402AU.html March 14, 2003 announcement of Finnish skier Kaisa Varis's drug test failure. Details on 2001 skiers.]
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