Ban for Norway?

Warning after scandal: “Don’t just bash it now”

Marius Lindvik and co. have turned the sport of ski jumping on its head.

(Bild: GEPA)

Following the scandal surrounding the Norwegian team, former ski jumper and TV expert Werner Schuster has warned against demonizing the ski jumping nation of Norway in general. The misconduct cannot be glossed over - but it is now important to come to terms with the events and preserve Norway as a ski jumping country.

"You can't just bash the Norwegians now. They really have made mistakes and crossed boundaries that should never have been crossed. The whole ski jumping family must come together," warned Schuster in the ServusTV program "Sport und Talk aus dem Hangar 7" against drawing too harsh consequences now.

Werner Schuster

(Bild: GEPA)

Schuster goes on to explain exactly what he has in mind: "When I hear that no more competitions are to be held in Norway. Norway is a traditional country. We must not lose them," is his fiery appeal. And yet: Schuster is still deeply disappointed and shocked by the scandal that has come to light. 

The question about the video
"Unfortunately, it has become something bigger than I feared. I hope that we can now get through this valley together and learn something from it and then present ski jumping again in the way it deserves," the former ÖSV eagle tries to be optimistic. 

The 55-year-old sees the fact that the decisive video was made during the World Championships as an indication of how serious the problems had become. "Why was such a video made? It's illegal to make a video like that. The frustration within the scene was so great that people no longer trusted each other." 

So what is the key to getting the sport of ski jumping back on track? "We now have to restore trust. Especially with regard to the controlling bodies, that you say, hey, he has to go through the controls and everything fits." Let's see how quickly the sport of ski jumping can actually recover from this quake ...