Ski jumping-Ski jumping scandal from World Cup in Trondheim probably greater than suspected

Norway’s ski jumper changed something about their jump suits again this Thursday in Oslo before the start of the RAW-Air tour. This time it was not a conscious manipulation like the home World Cup in Trondheim-the sponsor logo from Help had to be removed. The Norwegian insurance group justified the immediate farewell with the words: “It goes without saying that we do not want our logo on the clothing of a team that is cheating.” The armaments group Nammo, whose lettering was emblazoned on the helmets, has already withdrawn.

Disaster for Norway

This is a disaster for the Norwegian aviator team, which had to struggle with sponsorship problems anyway and stands at home in the shade of the overwhelming cross-country skiers around the six-time trondheim world champion Johannes Kläbo. For the entire ski jump circus too. The World Association FIS, when the six -time world champion Markus Eisenbichler declared his resignation, reacted with initial measures: For the rest of the season, only one jumpsuit per plane has been allowed since Wednesday, which is examined in detail by material control and is only released shortly before the competition.

Andreas Wellinger, who was beaten by the Norwegian “Manipulator” Marius Lindvik in his silver win, demands further consequences: “That was simply a fool. Can they all start on Thursday as normal? I actually have little desire to meet a Norwegian on the ski jump. ”At least the Lindvik and Johann Andre Forfang, convicted of fraud, are not there at the RAW Air, FIS suspended both on Wednesday afternoon. The athletes assume that they knew nothing of the suit fraud with a sewn-in stiff band. Of course, nobody believes that nobody believes them. After all, it would be the same as if a Formula 1 driver would not notice that his bolide suddenly has 50 hp more. Wellinger said: “If there are changes to the suit, I stand inside, notice that it is different and ask what has been changed.”

Fraud and peasant victim

In Norway, chief coach Magnus Brevig, co-trainer Thomas Lobben and the material manager Adrian, who were responsible for material, were suspended as “peasant victims”. However, some indications indicate that it is about extensive fraud. A Norwegian television station was played a photo that Lindviks should show manipulated ski binding before the normal hill competition, which he won in front of Wellinger. The Norwegian Jörgen Graabak was already disqualified in the Nordic combination for a similar offense. This case is examined like the suit manipulation by the FIS ethics committee. In a first step, all diving suits of the Norwegians used at the World Cup were confiscated.

“In view of the information available to us so far, we have nothing to fear when checking the jump suits,” says Norway’s association president Tove Moe Dyrhaug. After all, since the scandal became known, the World Cup hosts had more than 48 hours to blur their traces. There should therefore be no new revelations during the FIS examination, especially since the leading gentlemen of skiing are not interested in the further destruction of one of their most important sports. But first the FIS indicated a hard procedure: »We will do everything we can to ensure respect and fairness – in this specific case and in our entire ecosystem. If we come to the conclusion that the equipment regulations have to be changed drastically, we will do this. «

Manipulation and trickery

Whether proposals to leave the material controls entirely to the technology change anything? After all, there has been a whisper over the material for years-for all top nations. At the World Cup, Karl Geiger, who was suddenly flown in fourth place from the form crisis from the normal hill, also came into focus due to a supposedly too large jump suit. The Oberstdorfer has denied all allegations. But because every centimeter more wings brings more width in flight, the former world champion Martin Schmitt also speaks of trickery throughout the scene. Since the size of the suit has so far only been measured in the crotch, the athletes could bring it into the rules that are compliant solely with appropriate movements. “These movements are trained,” says Schmitt.

In addition, the FIS material controller, the Austrian Christian Kathol, is apparently part of the problem. He had nothing to complain about at the World Cup scandal, only after the intervention of several nations, the fraud was uncovered after the jump suits from Lindvik and Forfang. The World Cup hosts have overthrew ski jumping into the greatest crisis in its history.