“I am completely shocked by these completely baseless accusations, and I strongly refute them all,” President Uli Dahlen writes in an email from the International Biathlon Union.
Swede Dahlin has been president of the International Biathlon Union since 2018.
He will now be suspected of having entered into the same type of agreement with sponsor Infornt that the IBU entered into under Anders Bisberg.
This agreement must have had a beneficial price for Infront, according to information read by the prosecutor during the trial of Anders Beseberg.
Infront is a major player that buys and sells sports rights for television.
For the IBF, they have purchased advertising space for biathlon events, such as the World Championships and the Biathlon World Cup.
He proposes a political game
“I will not hesitate to take any legal steps necessary to preserve my good name and reputation,” Dahlen writes.
Dahlen dismissed the suspicions directed at him as a conspiracy to cast doubt on Dahlen's credibility as president.
“I have not received any official notification of an investigation at this point, but I am aware of politically motivated speculation and insinuations,” Dahlen writes.
Both current and former bosses associated with Infront were questioned and testified in the Besseberg case.
So does Ole Dahlin.
Among other things, it emerged in court that Infront's former pastoral leader, Volker Schmid, had referred to Dahlin as a terrible person.
In the District Court: Uli Dahlin during the trial of Anders Beseberg at the Buskerud District Court.
Image: NTP
Mentioned in SMS
This reference came in connection with Schmid's attempt to convince Pieseberg to run for president in 2018. Documents of text messages between Schmid and Pieseberg were presented in court.
Schmid then indicated that Dahlen should run for IBU president in 2018.
“It is clear that only you can be a suitable opponent,” he wrote to Piesberg.
In another text message, he noted that Uli Dahlin and Gerry Hamza envisioned roles as president and CFO after the conference in 2018.
“These people are terrible and actually hand out jobs as if everything has already been decided,” Schmid writes to Piesberg.
Witness: IBU General Secretary Matthew (Max) Cope TV and Besseberg's IBU heir Olle Dahlin after the trial of Anders Besseberg in the Buskerud District Court last Wednesday.
Image: NTP
He is believed to have cleaned the IBU
Dahlen confirms that he wants to cooperate with the police, but in any case he feels that the work he did after assuming the presidency speaks of his innocence.
– Since becoming AIBA President in 2018, I have led a comprehensive overhaul of AIBA governance which ensures the organization operates in line with international best practice and is independently monitored by the Biathlon Integrity Unit.
He also writes that the IBU's independent integrity unit, called BIU (Biathlon Integrity Unit), has not raised any suspicions against the IBU's existing agreement with Infront.
– I have no doubt that the Austrian investigation will conclude that this is the case and will prove that I acted correctly and ethically as President of the International Federation of Blind People.
The International Biathlon Union wrote this in a public statement to NRK on Thursday evening:
“The IBU is unable to comment on the investigation while it is ongoing. The IBU notes that the President vehemently denies any wrongdoing of any kind. The Biathlon Integrity Unit (BIU), which represents the AIBA, is a potentially aggrieved party in this case, is monitoring the situation closely, but so far has not seen any material evidence that could support unethical behavior by the IBU president.
“The IBU will continue to cooperate fully with the Austrian authorities in their investigations.”
– Do not be surprised
The head of the Norwegian Biathlon Federation, Arne Horten, told NRK that he did not want to speculate about the doubts:
We have to wait for the investigation and see what evidence there is.
The agreement at the time went through the board of directors and the internal investigative body, Horton explains.
President: Arne Horton.
Photo: Norwegian Ski Association
– When that agreement was concluded, there was a joint council behind the agreement. Likewise, Bircham International University has ensured this, says Horton.
– Were you surprised by the investigation?
– So far I'm not surprised. There are many who are eventually attracted. Then we get an overview, so that there is no doubt after investigating everything.
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