'My reputation on the line': Canadian ice maker denies Dutch speed skating team influenced him

The Canadian ice maker for the National Speed Skating Oval at the Beijing Olympics denied on Wednesday a media report suggesting the Dutch team was leaning on him to make conditions favourable for their skaters.

A website in the Netherlands quoted Dutch team scientist Sander van Ginkel last weekend as saying he shared tests and measurements with ice maker Mark Messer.

"By showing how I came up with my measurements, I hope to convince Messer and his people of my ideas. What I mainly try to do is to give them new information. For example, he now knows that the ice temperature is slightly above zero just after a resurfacing break," Van Ginkel was quoted as saying.

"Messer understands that I share things like this with him because our team can benefit from it when the conditions are optimal. Look, ultimate responsibility for the ice remains with Messer at all times. By naming things and continuing to insist on adjustments that are in our favour, we can achieve something more."

At his hotel in Beijing, Messer told Reuters it was totally false to infer he was bowing to pressure. The article showed pictures of Van Ginkel talking to him and testing the rink.

"The actual conversation that goes with that picture is me telling him not to come back, because I'm not going to tell him anything that I'm not going to tell every other country. But they have twisted this around," said Messer.

"It's my reputation on the line. I'm very upset with this story and the way it's developed," added the ice maker, who is based in Calgary and has worked at six Olympics.

'This is corruption'

Olympic gold medallist Nils van der Poel accused the Netherlands speedskating program of "corruption," though maintained he had confidence in Messer's integrity.

Van der Poel made his scathing comments during a news conference Wednesday at the Olympic Village, three days after his victory in the 5,000 meters gave Sweden its first speed skating medal since 1988.

"This isn't my idea of fair play," van der Poel said. "The Olympics is higher, stronger, faster. This is corruption. This is trying to alter the field of play in your favour by using unethical and immoral means."

While saying he has confidence in Messer, van der Poel said the Dutch program deserves to be punished if the report is true.

"This is the biggest scandal in our sport," van der Poel said. "We have doping cases in our sport every now and then. I do not see how this is any less serious."

Dutch technical director Maurits Hendriks reportedly called van der Poel's comments "unworthy of an Olympic champion."

"Measuring the ice temperature has been going on for 20 years," Hendriks said in Dutch media. "And anyone who comes to the skating rink more often sees that all countries have contact with the ice master."

The Netherlands has won three of the first four events at the Ice Ribbon and claimed a total of six medals — matching the combined total of every other country. The Netherlands also dominated speed skating at the last two Olympics.

"I don't believe that Mark Messer would let himself be duped into doing something with the ice," van der Poel said.

"But knowing that there is [a] guy trying to show him data to get in his head making decisions benefiting the Dutch skaters, that I find very provoking."

Dutch official says words misinterpreted

The technical director of the Dutch skating association, Remy de Wit, said his team believed in fair play and he did not think their scientist had any influence over the ice.

"Our scientist is here to make sure we have the right knowledge about the ice that has been made by the ice-makers," he said.

"I can understand that the words [in the article] could be interpreted in an unlucky way. They could have been chosen differently. I am not responsible for what's written in those articles."

When asked for comment from van Ginkel, the Dutch team said in a statement that he measures the ice temperature and climate at every tournament and had spoken "in general with the ice masters in Beijing about all topics concerning the climate in the oval. Nothing more, nothing less."

"We all love to hold skating competitions under the best circumstances, equal for all competitors: a level playing field. This is what the conversations were about. But if this mutual interest of ice specialists has led to inconvenience at the Swedish team we feel sorry for that," the statement said.

There was no comment on the matter from Olympics organizers.