To the relief of many sports fans it was announced last week that Estonian cross-country skiing sensation Kristina Shmigun passed her “B” test ordered by the FIS after she had apparently failed the initial test for banned substances in late December. Shmigun is on the Estonian Winter Olympics team and will indeed be maiking the trip to Salt Lake City to compete in the games that start this weekend. However, even with the good news an awful lot of questions remain to be answered. (And I will take the opportunity here to remind “Kiku’s fan”, the anonymous email commenter who berated me for last week’s editorial on our web site for not having faith, that reading is a skill, kneejerk reactions are not. That piece expressed hope that the A test was a mistake, and that Kiku must be given the benefit of the doubt.) The first obviously deals with the above mentioned instantaneous reactions, the twitching patellas of jerks. The Estonian press proved once again that compassion and understanding is not its strong point; rather they focus on what sells. (Of course, that’s not news, anywhere...) The public with its email comments, mostly anonymous, proved either exceedingly supportive, or unpleasantly nasty. No surprises there, public figures, especially those put on a pedestal such as sports figures , are fair game. Truth does not matter, opinions do. I was reminded of the ordeal that Doug “Killer” Gilmour had to go through as a member of the St. Louis Blues, when he was falsely accused of inproprieties with his baby sitter. While vindicated, the memory of the accusation remains over a decade later, and still gets trotted out on occasion when Gilmour ponders his future as a professional hockey player. This stigma is now something that most athletes charged, then exonerated will have to carry with them, not only during their competitive career, but for the rest of their lives. Some people have the memories of elephants, and like pachyderms will not resist the opportunity to trample others in moments of rage. The other obvious question deals with the professionalism of the FIS and all medical people involved. Why even was the A test result leaked before confirmation, negative or positive that the B test provides? How was it that the samples sent from Italy to the FIS laboratory did not indicate the gender of the athlete (It is well known that one of the reasons for drug testing is to prevent the use of naturally occuring male hormones by female athletes to give them more strength and stamina). Why did it take six days before FIS forwrded the A test results to the Estonian Ski Federation? How was it that the timing of the release of the results coincided with the strenuous final days before Olympic competition? Fortunately, Shmigun will compete in Utah. The investigation of this bungled affair however, will not conclude until after the Olympics, meaning that the athlete will be striving for gold with a cloud over her head. This is patently unjust, never mind unfair. I would be interested in hearing from those with certifiable medical knowledge — unlike my anonymous email critic — how it could have happened that the A test resulted in a failing grade. Genetics? Both of Kristina’s parents, Anatoli and Rutt Shmigun are former competitive skiiers. We have seen the progeny of successful athletes often excelling at the same sport as their parents. As argued by experts, the physiological strain of competition and exertion can result in increased hormone levels in the bloodstream. Should this disqualify athletes from competing? Many questions remain to be answered. Like my anonymous admirer, I sure hope that Shmigun kicks ass in Utah. But the slopes on the ski hills near Salt Lake City are an awful lot steeper now. I am sure that the competitive nature of Kristina Shmigun will see her strive for her best. However, thanks to FIS and the fickle fans of little or no faith, that challenge is in a word, Olympian. Good luck, Kiku. TÕNU NAELAPEA

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