Swedish speed skating gold medalist accused the Dutch team of 'corruption' for allegedly trying to change ice conditions

• A scientist for the Dutch speed skating team was quoted saying he tries to influence ice conditions to the team's preference.
• Swedish speed skater Nils van der Poel called it "corruption," saying it's as bad as doping.

Swedish speed skater Nils van der Poel accused the Dutch speed skating team of altering the Olympic ice to their advantage.

According to The New York Times, van der Poel, who won the gold medal in the 5,000-meter race, made the accusation following an article published on the Dutch speed skating website Schaatsen.

The article focuses on the work of Sander van Ginkel, a sports scientist working for the Dutch speed skating team, who studies the ice oval to find the best conditions for the Dutch team.

In the article, van Ginkel said he constantly tests the ice and shares his findings with Mark Messer, the "head ice technician" at the Olympics, according to The Times.

"Messer understands that I share things like this with him because our team can benefit from it when the conditions are optimal," van Ginkel said in the article, according to a translation from Google.

Van der Poel called the line between van Ginkel and Messer "corruption."

"This is corruption," van der Poel said, according to the Times. "This is trying to alter the field of play in your favor by using unethical and immoral means."

According to The Times, the Royal Dutch Skating Federation has won the most speed skating medals in Olympic history.

Messer and the Dutch Olympic Committee shot down van der Poel's claims and the quotes in the Schaatsen article.

Maurits Hendriks, the head of the Dutch Olympic Committee, denied the team having influence on the ice conditions, according to the Times, saying that the International Skating Union determines the ice conditions.

Hendriks also said van Ginkel denied telling Schaatsen that he attempted to influence the conditions.

However, in the article, van Ginkel is quoted as saying he felt the ice temperature at the Olympics has changed over time because of his comments.

"At the time, many skaters thought the ice was too warm and too soft," van Ginkel is quoted as saying, according to Google's translation. "I don't know if it was because of my comments, but the temperature kept dropping a bit in the following days. By showing how I arrive at my measurement results, I hope to convince Messer and his people of my ideas."

Messer, who is Canadian, told the Times over email that he found the comments in the Schaatsen article "offensive" and that he would never work with an Olympic team to alter the ice conditions.

Van der Poel said he found the comments as serious as doping allegations.

"It's embarrassing not only for the federation but also for the riders," he said via Eurosport. "This is the biggest scandal in our sport. We've had doping cases and I don't see this as less serious."

According to the Times, Olympic skaters have called the ice in Beijing "slow and slushy." Olympic records have thus far been set in every race so far. Van Ginkel had told Schaatsen that the Dutch like hard, fast, dry ice.

Van der Poel told Eurosport he would thrive on slow and slushy ice in the 1,000-meter race: "The best ice for me is when the ice is bad. I'm quite good when the ice is bad."