Three weeks before the Olympics, the rules are a complete mess regarding this issue. Yes, in Europe, C8 fluoride waxes are banned, and it even doesn’t sell, but in China, there are completely different rules, and the Olympics are not competitions under the auspices of the IBU or FIS, they also have their own rules.
In addition, C8 waxes are freely available in China, anyone can buy them. Therefore, the FIS threat of possible customs checks for prohibited waxes looks ridiculous.
Each team participating in races under the auspices of the IBU and FIS has signed a statute that prohibits them from using C8 waxes.
This week, two teams have already been caught - these are Lithuania and Moldova, and they have been fined 50,000 euros. How much is Olympic gold worth?
Of course, a good wax, like doping, won't give a 100% chance of winning an athlete, but it will definitely give some gap. And for the tests, no specific skis of athletes are taken, but only random boxes of powders. Ski testing exists, but it takes a long time to do, and even this past summer, many teams complained that its accuracy was far from ideal. And in Beijing, no one will check skis for fluorine content.
By the way, the FIS doesn't even check powders, it's only the IBU that is seriously concerned about the implementation of the rules. Therefore, there may well be a situation where prohibited powders will be stored in the wax cabins of ski teams, and used as needed by biathletes.
