4 November 2020

Estonian ski coach provisionally suspended for working with Alaver

Ski coach and former Olympian Aivar Rehemaa has been provisionally suspended by the Estonian anti-doping agency (EAD), after evidence suggested he had worked with Mati Alaver, a former national ski coach sanctioned for doping. Article 2.10 of the World Anti-Doping Code prevents anyone subject to the rules of an anti-doping organisation from working with a sanctioned athlete or coach. 

‘Based on evidence provided by the Estonian ski association (ESL) and information published can the media, Aivar Rehemaa in cooperation with Mati Alaver and through him, obtained an official invitation from the Finnish ski association for himself and seven other AR Pro Team athletes to a training camp in Olos from 4-25 November, and to the Ruka World Cup Stage from 25-30 November’, read an EAD statement. The EAD said that it expects a written explanation from Rehemaa by Friday 13 November. 

Mati Alaver

Alaver was sanctioned with a four year ban by the international ski federation (FIS) in January, after being implicated in blood doping through the ‘Operation Aderlass’ investigations into Dr. Mark Schmidt. The EAD statement pointed out that on 14 November last year, Alaver was sentenced to a one year criminal penalty for inciting doping with a probation period of 1.5 years by Harju County Court.

Alaver was charged with administering doping substances to Andreas Veerpalu, Algo Kärp, Karel Tammjärv, and Alexei Poltoranin between 2016 and 2019. Investigations in Estonia began in March 2019, after Tammjärv, Veerpalu, and Kärp were implicated in Operation Aderlass. Kärp confessed to doping, also in March, after his teammates were implicated.

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