Laegreid fired a small-bore rifle at the hotel, Norwegian biathlete already knows the punishment

The biathlon world was rocked by a scandal in December when Norwegian athlete Laegreid accidentally fired his gun in his hotel room during the World Cup in Lenzerheide. The International Biathlon Union (IBU) has now announced the punishment after several weeks of investigation.

Based on the results of an investigation by an independent body, the IBU has given Laegreid a warning as well as a fine of 500 euros. The biathlete is also required to complete a course on safe handling of weapons.

However, the sanctions do not only apply to the five-time world champion, the IBU also punished the entire Norwegian biathlon team. The team must pay a fine of 2,500 euros. In addition, all of Laegreid’s teammates will also undergo safety training.

“Everything went well, as I expected. I am glad that the IBU was not stricter. I think the fine and the weapons handling course is an appropriate punishment. The courses are useful for everybody, one learns interesting information there,” Laegreid commented on the decision to Norwegian NRK television.

After the incident, Laegreid was in tears

The whole incident happened during the World Cup in Lenzerheide in December. At that time, Olympic champion Sturla Holm Laegreid was punished on the spot with a ban from the mass start race.

“It’s sad. Really bad when something like that happens, but it’s the right thing to do. We’re doing a sport that can potentially take someone’s life, so the strictest rules have to be applied to safety. I have to take the consequences for what I did,” Laegreid commented on the incident to NRK with tears in his eyes.

Laegreid fired the shot during a dry-fire, when biathletes practice and check their shooting skills without the use of ammunition.

The 26-year-old Norwegian followed his usual pre-race routine, however, with the difference that in Lenzerheide the Norwegian athletes were given magazines by the team already at the hotel, not in the cell as usual. The biathlete then forgot the cartridge in his gun and accidentally fired into the hotel seat.

“Itshould never have happened, I take full responsibility for that,” Laegreid regretted. “I deeply apologize to the entire biathlon family, my teammates and the hotel owner for what happened. This is a brutal reminder to me and to all biathletes how important all safety policies are,” he added.

Source: NRK