Austrian court hits Andreas Veerpalu with suspended jail sentence
A court in Austria has sentenced cross-country skier Andreas Veerpalu to five months' jail time, in suspended sentence, plus three years' probation. Veerpalu, who was caught up in a major, international ski-doping scandal from February 2019, has also been fined just under €500, by the same court.
Veerpalu's lawyer informed the court, in Innsbruck, that Veerpalu did not plan to attend the hearing. As a result, the ruling was made in absentia, daily newspaper Postimees wrote (link in Estonian).
The Innsbruck prosecutor's office charged the 27-year-old of violating anti-doping rules, in which he caused sponsors €12,000 in damage. He was also charged with involvement with a crime ring which included the notorious German "doping doctor", Mark Schmidt, who is currently imprisoned.
Veerpalu is son of Estonian two-time olympic gold medalist Andrus Veerpalu, who was one of those involved in the blood doping activities and whose resulting two-year coaching ban recently expired.
For more information, read ERR New's coverage here.
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Editor: Roberta Vaino
