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Also, a 27-year-old Estonian athlete who did not come to the court hearing will have to part with 480 euros. The decision of the court can be appealed.
The Innsbruck prosecutor’s office accused Vērpala of violating anti-doping laws, which resulted in damages of 12,000 euros to his sponsors. He was also accused of being a member of a criminal organization which, together with doctors and others, committed the offenses.
In February 2019, during the World Cross-Country Skiing, Ski Jumping and Nordic Duel World Championships in Seefeld, Austria, local police made several arrests, detaining skiers, cyclists and other sports.
At the same time, Mark Schmidt’s doctor’s office in Erfurt was searched, and law enforcement agencies in Germany, Austria and Estonia subsequently launched criminal investigations and prosecutions against several athletes and support staff, including members of the privately sponsored Estonian sports team Haanja.
Following a search in February 2019, nine people were initially detained, but later the list of perpetrators increased to 21. Among the accused were also Estonian cross-country skiers – Vērpalu, Algo Kerps and Karel Tammjervs.
During the investigation, other participants of “Haanja” – coach Mati Alavers and Kazakh skier Alexei Poltoranin – admitted to participating in Dr. Schmidt’s blood doping scheme.
Last year, Vērpalu was one of the athletes who was sentenced to four years of disqualification.
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