Swedish speedskating double gold medalist charges Dutch with “corruption”

BEIJING — Speedskater Nils Van der Poel of Sweden won his second Olympic gold medal and said he stands by his accusations that Dutch officials lobby for ice conditions that favor their athletes.

Van der Poel used the words “corruption” and “doping” to describe the practice. He said that while doping is “cheating in my eyes, affecting competition personnel is also cheating.”

The 25-year-old, who won Sweden’s first speedskating medals since 1988, charged that Dutch officials have been “affecting competition personnel for the enhancement of their skaters. It’s not one skater; this is a federation that has done this for years and has intentions to keep on doing it.”

Well, not if he can help it.

Van der Poel won the 10,000m in world-record time Friday to add another gold to the one he captured in the 5000 five days earlier. Patrick Roest of the Netherlands won the silver in both races.

After winning his first race, he called a press conference in the Olympic Village on Wednesday. He highlighted a story on a Dutch website that said a scientist affiliated with the Dutch team shared tests and measurements with ice master Mark Messer in an effort to set up conditions that benefit Dutch skaters.

“This is the biggest scandal in our sport,” van der Poel.

The Netherlands has won four gold, three silver and one bronze medal at the National Speed Skating Oval, known as the Ice Ribbon.

Messer, a Canadian who has set up the ice at six Olympic Games, has denied the allegation and said it’s his “reputation on the line.”

While van der Poel said that he has confidence in Messer, he believes the Dutch tried to influence him.

He said on Friday that he defines corruption as “pronouncing one intention while consciously acting out another intention.” Van der Poel said the Dutch skating federation said in a statement that it valued fair play. “Then they spend a lobbyist to the Olympic to affected competition personnel, to me that’s the definition of corruption.

“I do not enjoy to use the word, bu it was the appropriate word.”

Dutch technical director Maurits Hendriks told Dutch media van der Poel’s comments are “unworthy of an Olympic champion.”

“Measuring the ice temperature has been going on for 20 years,” Hendriks said in Dutch media. “And anyone who comes to the skating rink more often sees that all countries have contact with the ice master.”

Van der Poel emphasized that he respects his Dutch rivals and wants to open a dialogue. But he is adamant about fair play.

“I think it’s really important, whichever game you choose to play, that you both agree upon what the rules of the game are so you play the same game,” van der Poel said. “We speed skaters must come to an agreement upon which rules we want to play by and that does not end here in Beijing. We need to settle that so we are in agreement what the sport is about.”

He wants all lobbying of competition personnel to stop. Van der Poel also has offered to share his training program with other skaters.

He believes if he can show them how to improve what way they can improve, “perhaps it doesn’t seem impossible to them to win races in fair ways. “Perhaps that can defeat unjust conditions if we can share the passion.”