The 77-year-old Norwegian, who led the IBU from 1992 to 2018, has been on trial near the Norwegian capital, Oslo, since 9 January on charges of aggravated corruption, which he vehemently denies. 

The five-week trial has been widely reported in the Norwegian media and has featured more than 20 witnesses, including Grigory Rodchenkov, the whistleblower behind the revelations of organised Russian doping in the early 2010s. 

As well as scrutinising the actions of the Norwegian, who ruled the world of biathlon for 26 years, the trial is exposing the elements he received in exchange for favours, including luxurious watches, sexual favours, hunting trips, and suspicions of buying influence and loyalty. 

"Why did the Russians want to corrupt Besseberg?" asked Marianne Djupesland on the first day of the trial. Prosecutors say that between 2008 and 2019, Besseberg received three watches worth a total of more than 30,000 euros ($33,000), was invited on deer and wild boar hunting trips, and offered the services of sex workers, all paid for by Russian officials.

The defendant admits to receiving some gifts, but denies any corruption: "I have no interest in watches and no knowledge of brands and their value," he said, describing himself as a "simple farm boy."

Regarding an Omega watch worth over €17,000 that he received for his 65th birthday in 2011, he insisted: "I did not think it was undeserved. Regarding the hunting trips, he claimed that the organised trips did not influence the decisions of the International Biathlon Union (IBU), over which he claimed to have little influence.

He also denied any contact with sex workers in exchange for influencing decisions, but admitted to a consensual romantic relationship with a 42-year-old Russian woman. It is worth noting that as the head of the IBU when the Russian doping scandal erupted in the 2010s, Besseberg was initially accused of covering up Russian doping cases in exchange for various favours.

Although the prosecution dropped this charge, in Norway, receiving undue favours, even without providing services in return, is enough to constitute corruption.

The prosecution has presented evidence suggesting that Besseberg was suspiciously accommodating to the Russians while leading the IBU. This evidence includes a wiretapped phone conversation in December 2017 with Norwegian biathlete Ole Einar Bjorndalen, in which he defended the IBU's lack of response to revelations of Russian doping.

During the same period, IBU secretary general, Nicole Resch of Germany, who was accused of corruption in a 2021 report, was caught on tape saying that Besseberg was "insanely pro-Russian." According to an investigation led by Sweden's Olle Dahlin, who succeeded Besseberg as head of the IBU, Besseberg pushed for the 2021 Biathlon World Championships to be held in Tyumen, Siberia, despite the Russian doping scandals. 

The event was eventually awarded to Pokljuka in Slovenia. Russia is not the only shadow hanging over the process. Besseberg is also accused of taking fully paid hunting trips to Austria and the Czech Republic and driving a leased BMW X5 for seven years, all paid for by Infront, a marketing company that held the television rights to the sport.

The trial is now halfway through and will continue until 16 February 2024, when the verdict will be delivered in the town of Hokksund, 60 kilometres west of Oslo. In Norway, the charge of "aggravated corruption" carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, which is what the accused could face.