Skrevet av: Ingrid Pedersen/Camilla Nielsen
Dato: 07.03.2005 13:24
Finnmarksløpet 2005 is still on for all the internasional mushers participating in the 500 km race. The Norwegian Food Safety Authority has accepted the documents that has been provided regarding that the necessary worm treatment has been undergone within the deadlines demanded by the Norwegian Government. The same also applies to the Spaniard Miguel-Angel Martinez and the German Bernhard Schuchert participating in the 1000 kilometre race. This is confirmed by the Technical Delegate, Ms Rita Hallvig. Thomas Hoffmann, on the other hand, was forced to drop out.
Everything tends to show that the German musher Thomas Hoffmann was not treated the same way as the other mushers. He was checked out by The Norwegian Food Safety Authority at Skoganvarre in Mid-Finnmark district, whereas the other mushers in the main have been checked in Alta, which belongs to the district of Western Finnmark.
- I am not familiar with all the details in this case. In the course of Monday I hope to gather all the information on this matter. If it turns out that the mushers have not been treated equally, then that is ot the way it should be. We cannot handle matters differently from one district to the other says Mr. Olaf Bellika, The The Norwegian Food Safety Authority's Regional Director.
According to Mr. Bellika, The Norwegian Food Safety Authority sent a letter to Finnmarksløpet on the 4th. Feb this year, inviting them to collaborate on the race. The reason for this is that last year deficiencies in some of the mushers import documents were exposed. Finnmarksløpet on the other hand has never received any reports on these deficiencies, something that naturally should have been done in a matter The Norwegian Food Safety Authority treats so seriously.
- We didn't manage to get in touch with Finnmarksløpet. The only thing we received was an e-mail referring to the Ministry of Agriculture and the Norwegian Musher Association says the Regional Director Mr. Olaf Bellika.
Ms. Marit Hoveid, Race Marshal and Sporting Manager for the Finnmarksløpet Race says that she has not been contacted directly, neither via e-mail, letter or telephone, this despite the fact that she is in charge of this part of the race administration, lives in Alta, and that all information is available on the race web pages.
The fact that a public inspection department contacts us as organisers of a large International event per e-mail regarding such a grave matter just a few days prior to the event starting, is neither here nor there, says Hoveid. It is true that I responded to them via e-mail, but I didn't receive any response back from them. The happenings of the last 24 hours indicate in no sense that The Norwegian Food Safety Authority has wished to collaborate with us, or help the International mushers.
The Finnmarksløpet AS Manager, Ms. Nina Prebensen, says she received a letter from The Norwegian Food Safety Authority 14 days ago. She has repeatedly tried to contact the Authority, without any luck.
- The person in The Norwegian Food Safety Authority that had sent the letter was on holiday and no one else could answer, says Prebensen. Prebensen finds it however highly blameworthy that Norwegian Authorities treats foreign guests in the way Finnmarksløpet’s participants has experienced the last 24 hours.
- If Thomas Hoffmann has made a mistake, it is unfortunate. According to the report from the check point, Hoffmann has been treated very coarsely by the Norwegian Authorities. Hoffmann has been a good ambassador for the Finnmarksløpet for many years. We are going to do whatever we can for this not to be of consequence for his future participation in the race, says manager Nina Prebensen.