This post is also available in:
EDITORIAL: Earlier this Autumn,the Norwegian Ski Association passed a ban on the use of fluoride for athletes up to the age of 16. Vasaloppet announced a few days ago that they remove fluorine-containing products in the official lubrication service. The reason is that fluoride is harmful to humans, nature and the environment. The EU has already introduced a new, stricter directive against fluoride from 2020, and everyone agrees that fluoride should be eliminated. The problem so far has been that a global ban is needed for international competitions – the bell sheep – but there is no global effective ban mechanism.
But Vegard Ulvang and FIS are already opening up to introduce a ban also in the World Cup in the future. The ball has started to roll and individual players can now seize the chance to give it further speed.
In 2014, the Formula 1 circus introduced regulations where the sport itselfandthe overall organization that designs the rules, the FIA collaborated on rules for cleaner engines. The FIA has continued to introduce new measures even after this. F1 will probably contribute to continued pollution despite good measures, but the point I want to make here is that the will is there, and the opportunity as well, because Formula 1 is only carried out globally by a few tyrannical teams. The actors and stakeholders are fewer, it is a simpler food structure.
This is not the case in cross-country skiing. The national teams refuse to quitbecause they can not trust that everyone else will do the same.
XC-marathon has previously addressed many of the implications that are relevant when it comes to fluoride. There are many more actors with varying degrees of resources, roles and opinions that make the progression slow. And now it must also be said that even though everyone agrees that fluoride is undoubtedly a poison, there is still uncertainty about how much effect the amount that is actually released into nature has, and also how large a share of skiing is behind. But uncertainty should not benefit the accused in this case In any case, skiing should sweep for its own door and contribute what we can to get all fluoride away from nature and us humans.
One of the pioneers who has worked hardest is the voluntary organization Toughest without fluoride.
Fluoride is very harmful when treated in the lubrication booth, it can harm animals and nature locally where it stays in nature – and last but not least – it also ends up in nature’s cycle and can be found as far away as in the Arctic, and also on our own dinner plate just like the microplastic.
In an article on nrk.no, Vegard Ulvang argues that FIS and the World Cup should also be able to get rid of fluoride within a few years. What they lack is an effective control mechanism, he says. With this, the leader of the cross-country committee in FIS sends a brave and strong signal to other players about which direction they want to go.
Now the ball has started to roll, and tour organizers should also get on the field as the Vasaloppet has done. You can do this in different ways depending on what resources you have – touring races are run on a voluntary basis and many people spend all their free time on getting good cross-country skiing carried out at all. Nevertheless, there are several possibilities. In your communication to the participants, you can encourage them to go without fluoride, you can create a ban and your own ways at least to try to control this. In this way, you can contribute with your experiences to develop good control mechanisms / routines – and you may also be able to create your own classes for those who want to go fluoride-free. This can be trust-based, as are many other things in society. Remember that doping regulations also apply in touring races, but here too only random runners are selected for control. In Birken, the organizer makes a light lift on the backpack to check that the weight is right. A practical and feasible, yet inaccurate control mechanism.
XC-marathon therefore encourages all tour organizers to find their method, or their solution to limit the use of fluoride in their race for the 2018/19 season. We can not be worse than the children we want to raise. And soon the role models we ourselves look up to in the World Cup have also come to an end. Then we can not be the sink that lags behind.
Turrenn.net will itself contribute by marking all races we write about as fluoride-free(ban) or fluoride measures(other measures with a view to reducing fluoride use), based on what the organizer himself states that they carry out as measures.
Good fluoride-free touring season!