What happens next?

“Taking the piss!” Shock and uncertainty after scandal

Johann Andre Forfang was also disqualified.

(Bild: GEPA)

A manipulation scandal involving the Norwegian ski jumping team has cast a shadow over the Nordic World Championships in Trondheim. In the final on the large hill on Saturday, normal hill world champion Marius Lindvik lost his silver medal; the Norwegian was subsequently disqualified due to a manipulated suit, as was his colleague Johann Andre Forfang, who finished in fifth place. In the ski jumping circus, the hosts' cheating caused shock, anger and incomprehension.

"It has a bit of a bad aftertaste now," said ÖSV head coach Andreas Widhölzl after the last World Championship competition of the ÖSV eagles in the outrun of the Granåsen ski jumps. Thomas Thurnbichler, head coach in Poland, was also annoyed. "For me it's a joke. It's clear manipulation and clear sports fraud, similar to doping. I really feel sorry for a few people who might have won a medal here if these controls had happened earlier," said the Tyrolean. "I think it could have been found much earlier."

Thomas Thurnbichler, head coach in Poland

(Bild: GEPA)

Officially, the Norwegians were disqualified for an illegal move, but Widhölzl gave some deeper insights. "They apparently sewed a stiff band on the inside from the knee up to the crotch. That's not allowed and it causes it to be stiffer and when you pull your feet apart you pull your crotch down," he said. "It's similar to a wingsuit," added Thurnbichler.

Norwegians see no cheating
The Norwegians saw things differently. "It's not cheating, it's a breach of the rules," said Norway's head coach Magnus Brevig. Jan-Erik Aalbu, head of ski jumping at the Norwegian federation, accepted the disqualifications. "The athletes bear no responsibility at all," he emphasized. The world federation FIS described the offense in the live ticker as "manipulation".

In any case, Widhölzl was happy that the fraud had been uncovered. "On the one hand, it's not good for our sport. But on the other hand, it's good if it's controlled, then you have a consequence," emphasized the Tyrolean, who demonstratively radiated calm. "My job is to bring the chaos under control." Jan Hörl inherited the silver medal after a delay and was more than surprised. "That's a bit of a shock. That makes it a bit unsportsmanlike, it should always be fair," said the man from Salzburg.

Retroactive changes unlikely
However, the colors of his medals could have been different than two silver medals (team, large hill) and two bronze medals (mixed team, normal hill). The Norwegians jumped far at the season highlight in their home country, Lindvik won gold on the small hill as well as the mixed title, the women's team triumphed ahead of Austria. Whether the Norwegians will now be retroactively removed from the rankings for all ski jumping competitions remains to be seen - but is unlikely. "In principle, I don't think so," said FIS Race Director Sandro Pertile when asked whether there could still be changes. "We have a system. When the control is done, the competition is done."

Pertile dismissed rumors about manipulated chips in the suits. "The chip wasn't the problem, it was the stitching. It has nothing to do with the chip. We are very happy with the chip, it worked," explained the Italian, who was admittedly annoyed about the case of fraud with far-reaching consequences in the ski jumping family. "It is a motivation for us to be better in the future," he said. He was not yet able to answer whether bans or other penalties are imminent. "We have to clarify the situation calmly. This will be an issue for the whole ski jumping family, not just for one team. We all have to talk about the issue together."

Secret filming during the night
The matter came to light shortly before the large hill competition. Secret film footage shot by a Polish journalist shows Norwegian jumpsuits being sewn back together in pieces. Norway's head coach Brevig can also be seen in the circulating images. The videos were filmed on Saturday night, as Pertile was confirmed by the Norwegian team. For this reason, Austria, Slovenia and Poland lodged a protest, and the German team also demanded an official clarification.

If something is really wrong, then there should not only be disqualifications, but also harsher penalties.

Stefan Kraft

Stefan Kraft commented on the matter shortly before his teammates were disqualified. "If something really isn't right, then there shouldn't just be disqualifications, but also harsher penalties," demanded the red-white-red World Championship record medal winner. "I hope that they will follow through with it."

Because disqualified Norwegians were not uncommon at the World Championships; jumper Ingvild Synnöve Midtskogen was disqualified in both individual competitions due to an illegal suit, in between which she won gold with the team. "The athletes are allowed to use three different suits at the World Championships. They have to use the one they choose for the whole day," said FIS controller Christian Kathol.