Where to Ski And Snowboard - Vanessa Mae ski results may be rigged

Vanessa Mae ski results may be rigged

14th July 2014, by Abi Butcher

Vanessa Mae's Winter Olympics qualifying results may have been fabricated

Four Slovenian ski federation officials have been suspended for allegedly rigging the points given to violinist Vanessa Mae to allow her to compete in the Winter Olympics.

Vanessa competed for Thailand in the giant slalom in Sochi, using her father’s last name of Vanakorn. She took part in qualifiers in Sweden, Norway, Switzerland and Slovenia — and in Sochi finished a distant last out of the 67 racers who competed.

It has now emerged that the Slovenian Ski Association (SSA) has found evidence that the races Vanessa Mae competed in this January were “fixed at the behest of Thai ski officials to meet [Vanessa’s] qualifying criteria for Sochi.

President of the SSA Jurij Zurej said the irregularities included suspected falsification of rankings and times — though says the violinist may not have known about the violations at the time.

He said: “The starting list included a person who did not even compete, a racer who fell was registered as finishing high in the standings. In addition, the dates of the competitions did not match the actual date when the races were held.”

The International Ski Federation (FIS) said it is “disappointed” by the allegations and is waiting until the SSA completes its inquiry before taking action.

The findings of the SSA investigation, which has already proposed the suspension of four officials including Vlado Makug, the head of its Alpine skiing division, will be forwarded to Slovenian police.