Ski theft, fight and injuries: the improbable affair that is shaking Latvian biathlon

The small world of biathlon has been in turmoil since the beginning of the week, following the Biathlon World Championships held in Lenzerheide (Switzerland) . A fight broke out between Latvian national coach Ilmars Bricis and his leader Andrejs Rastorgujevs over an alleged theft of skis, according to local media . A scandal that led the Latvian federation to communicate this Wednesday, confirming the resignation of the former, effective since Tuesday evening. The latter is out for the rest of the 2024-2025 season and has asked his federation for an explanation, which hopes to find "a possible resolution" to the conflict.

According to the media LSM, it all started on Monday on his return from Switzerland, when Rastorgujevs, vice-world champion in the mass start in 2024, accused Bricis of hitting him after the mixed relay on February 20. The motive? The biathlete's racing skis had been lost for several months, with Rastorgujevs accusing Bricis of theft. In front of Latvian television cameras, he said: "He (Bricis) attacked me. He was really angry. Two people from the team came to separate us. I didn't expect a coach to act like that."

The national coach, for his part, maintains his innocence in this supposed story of ski theft. He adds, still in front of the Latvian media: "We did not get to the point of hitting each other. But we did fight. Neither of us was injured. We are not boxers." Bricis' wife, biathlete Baiba Bendika, got involved on social networks, explaining that her husband had pushed Rastorgujevs out of the room to protect their one-and-a-half-year-old son. Rastorgujevs was then allegedly injured in a finger and shoulder, forfeiting the rest of the competition.

This Wednesday, the Latvian Federation confirmed that Andrejs Rastorgujevs "will not continue the season for health reasons". It added that it had requested "explanations from all members of the Latvian team to clarify the situation in order to obtain complete information and hear all opinions". Latvia did not win any medals in a World Championship dominated by France (13 medals, including 6 gold).