From next winter, a fluor ban will be introduced at all FIS and IBU-sanctioned competitions. Skiers caught using fluor will be disqualified. Technology is helping the Swedish national team.

The waxing service squad from the Sweden National cross-country skiing team is using artificial intelligence to find out if products containing fluor have been used on the athletes’ skis.

The International Skiing and Snowboarding Federation (FIS) and the International Biathlon Union (IBU) announced in March that the fluor ban will enter into force in the upcoming winter season.

Read More: FIS commits to fluor-free competitions with a total waxing ban from the 2023/2024 season

In July, FIS announced that it would introduce regular fluor tests at this winter’s World Cup and the U23 and Youth World Championships. In addition, checks can occur in other FIS competitions at all levels.

Help from artificial intelligence (AI)

Now the Swedish waxing team is running a project where they test the fluor content of skis with the help of artificial intelligence.

“There is some uncertainty, which is a bit unpleasant, but at the same time very exciting,” says Mats Eklund from the Swedish waxing team to SVT.

Both Swedish cross-country skiing and biathlon collaborate on the artificial intelligence project and share their experiences with FIS and IBU as well.

The essence of the project is that artificial intelligence helps the fluor testing software to learn from previous experiences. It offers excellent opportunities but also considerable risks: if the machine finds something new it has yet to come across before, it has nothing to base its results on.

Due to the fluor ban, many waxing manufacturers are working with new ingredients to develop more fluor-free waxes to replace products containing fluor.

“We are in the middle of a learning process with the machine. It may be slightly different new substances that the manufacturers have added to their fluor-free wax. Still, if the system has not seen that combination before, we can get strange readings and a “red check mark,” even though the product is actually fluor-free,” explains Kent Norell, the waxing manager from the Swedish biathlon team.

Old fluor wax can be a problem

Avoiding the presence of fluor is not easy in environments where it has been used in the past. Old fluor can end up on the skis again during waxing via an old brush and cause a “fluor epidemic.”

In addition, the Swedish waxing managers point out that they and other waxing experts are in the hands of manufacturers. If the waxes contain fluor residues, it can cause significant challenges for testing.

“We cannot control which products are delivered to us. If suppliers say they are fluoride-free, we have to trust them,” says Eklund.

However, Norell is optimistic about the tests to be carried out next winter.

“I hope and believe that we will be able to complete a season with fair play.

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