Norwegian XC Ski Federation in Hot Water Over Asthma Medication Likened to Doping. skitrax.com. August 28, 2016. The latest reports from Norway have officials at Skiforbundet scrambling to explain their use of asthma medication on athletes that don’t need it accoring to News in English.no. Meanwhile more alarm bells are ringing over top Norwegians such as Marit Bjørgen and Martin Johnsrud Sundby who have permission to use the medication amidst raised eyebrows from many in the ski community, notably Bjørgen’s arch rival, Justyna Kowalczyk from Poland, who has complained for years about “loose” restrictions in Norway. 

Bjoergen takes historic 30km CL victory © Nordic Focus
Norwegian star Martin Johnsrud Sundby was recently stripped of gold medal victories from last season because he exceeded acceptable asthma medication levels which the Norwegian Federation assumed full responsibility for even compensating him for prize money of around $130,000.
Martin Johnsrud Sundby (NOR) © Nordic Focus
“It’s strange that so many Norwegians have asthma, (in a country) where the air is so clean,” said Kowalczyk when she heard about Johnsrud Sundby’s case.
Others reports claim that Norwegian skiers, who don’t suffer from asthma, were also given asthma medicine which Kowalczyk and other skiers are said to have complained about many times in the past.Justyna Kowalczyk © Nordic FocusNorwegian officials are struggling to maintain the country’s reputation of having top athletes free of doping scandals claiming preventative measures as the reason for administering  asthma medicine in sub-freezing temperatures. But this explanation was apparently rejected by the country’s own anti-doping agency.
Norway’s biggest newspaper Aftenposten has waded in supporting Kowalczyk and while a full investigation is pending the lofty position that Ski Norge has held seems to be rapidly eroding.
“It is critical for us that this investigation is led by people who don’t have any ties to Norway’s ski federation,” stated the leader of the cross-country committee, Torbjørn Skogstad in the report.