A lot of fuss about fluorine disqualifications: cross-country ski soldier received hate mail in Engadin

This is all due to the huge fuss surrounding the disqualifications at the Engadine Ski Marathon due to the use of fluorine wax, which was not allowed in the race. In addition to winner Maëlle Veyre, there were eleven other exclusions. Two of these eleven affected Brotzer. He has been active in the cross-country skiing scene for many years, runs a sports shop in Reichenburg SZ and is regularly on site as an importer, product developer and service technician for the Finnish laundry manufacturer “Start” during the World Cup.

Of the four identically prepared skis, two were positive

In the Engadin, Brotzer waxed 80 pairs of skis for the cross-country skiing group “ProNordic”. All without fluorine, as he assures us. Four of ‘his’ skis were tested, two failed the inspection. Apparently wrongly, because on Friday the world rowing association FIS rowed back – three disqualifications were reversed “due to errors in the fluorine protocol”.

Veyre regains her lost victory. Brotzer’s athletes Daniel Grätzer (61st place) and Silvan Durrer (4th place among the U20 men) have also returned to the rankings and their two-year ban from starting the ski marathon is lifted.

So Brotzer is being rehabilitated. But when Blick visits him in his shop on Saturday, he is still shaking his head about the past few days. On the one hand, there is the wave of hate he receives. The violence shocks him. But there is also a lot of frustration about the way fluorine testing is carried out in the Engadine.

Questionable processes on site at the finish

On the one hand, the former measurement technician criticizes that the measurement is not 100 percent accurate. This is done using infrared spectroscopy, i.e. a beam of light is shot onto the ski surface. The reflected light provides information about the substances. This concerns values ​​between 0 and 1 – if it is more, the red light on the measuring device lights up. Brotzer: “This can lead to errors when interpreting the measured curve. There are also other substances that cause the value to exceed 1.”

He also says: “Just changing the lighting conditions in the tent can significantly affect the test result.”

On the other hand, the processes on site were also chaotic. The second test in the presence of the athlete, as required by the regulations, was not allowed, nor was there any possibility of appeal. “It was said that the FIS man responsible had already left,” Brotzer said.

It stinks that he came under suspicion. The service man and the Finnish wax company he works for want to see the measurement protocols. But the FIS – responsible for the whole fluoride thing in Engadin – hasn’t released it yet. The world association promised a statement to Blick next week.