Former IBU President Besseberg Convicted of Bribery in Russian Doping Scandal

Besseberg, who served as IBU president for more than 20 years, was convicted of bribery in connection with covering up Russian doping violations and protecting Russian interests.

In Norway, several hunting trophies, two expensive watches and 1.4 million Norwegian kroner (about 121 thousand euros) were confiscated from him.

The court’s decision states that he has undoubtedly acted in the interests of Russia. He was sentenced to three years and one month in prison.

Already in 2021, the independent commission established by the IBU, which investigated the Besseberg case, came to similar conclusions as the prosecutor’s office. At that time, the commission concluded that he had been defending Russia’s interests for many years with the help of the German IBU Secretary General Nikola Resch.

Based on the testimony of whistleblowers, raids by Austrian and Norwegian police and a report by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the commission concluded that Beseberg received at least $200,000 from Russian officials, accepted invitations to paid hunting trips in Russia and received the services of prostitutes. In return, he allegedly hid several doping cases and intensively lobbied Russian interests in the organization.