The German biathlon coach Wolfgang Pichler, currently national coach of the Swedish women’s team, will not be accredited for the Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang (9th place). till 25. February). The reason for this is the former activity of the 62-year-old Ruhpoldinger as coach of the Russian women Olga Saizeva, Olga Viluchina and Iana Romanova, who were banned for life by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
“It is a scandal, I am a victim,”Pichler said in interviews with the Swedish media:”I was not involved in any way, not even one percent. Pichler was coach of the Russian biathletes from 2011 to 2014.
The two-time Olympic champion Saizeva and her two relay colleagues won silver at the 2014 Sochi Games. The Oswald Commission of the IOC blocked them and more than 30 other Russian Olympic participants from 2014 in the course of the manipulation and doping scandal surrounding host Russia.
Pichler now complained about non-existent communication with official agencies:”Nobody talks to me, neither WADA nor IOC representatives. Nobody asked me questions or gave me the opportunity to express myself,”said Pichler, who had led the Swedish Magdalena Forsberg to six overall World Cup victories in series from 1997 to 2002 and has been training the Swedes again since 2015:”I will prepare the team as well as possible. As usual, I’ll give 150 percent, and during the Olympics, I’ll be able to skype with the athletes.”
The IOC had published guidelines stating that “no coaches or doctors of athletes sanctioned by the Oswald Commission will be accredited for the Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang in 2018”. Sweden’s Biathlon Association expressed its confidence in Pichler, but announced that it would accept the IOC’s approach.