In the run-up to the Nordic Ski World Cup in Trondheim (February 26 to March 9), Olympic champion Maren Lundby once again urgently warned of the consequences of the competition for the lowest body weight in ski jumping. The Norwegian calls for a change of rule.
“It may sound drastically, but currently ski jumping is actually so sick that half of the field should be disqualified,” wrote Maren Lundby in a comment for the online edition of the broadcaster “NRK”.
The BMI lower limit of 21 applies to the athletes to use the full ski lengths, “but about half of the top 10 of the Women’s World Cup and most winners of previous championships and the entire Women’s World Cup find loopholes in the regulations “, Lundby continued. “I think they have to be closed.”
A problem from Lundby’s point of view: the calculation of the BMI, which reflects the ratio of weight to body size. “The size of the ski jumpers is measured while they are at a footprint of 30 centimeters, which means that they have an artificially low height. This means that the jumpers are registered with a higher BMI than they actually have and that the Actual BMI value is significantly below 21 – the lowest value that the regulations allow. “
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Many of the top athletes “exchange their kilos with a shorter skis,” said Lundby. “If you have a BMI of over 21, according to the regulations, you will not receive any advantages. Each individual kilogram above the BMI limit value inhibits your flight performance. It is therefore only natural that the athletes strive for the lowest possible weight.”
“Ski jumping more like a weight competition”
In this context, the former ski jumper appealed to the FIS Ski World Association. “The FIS is good at ensuring the security of the athletes in a risky sport. This must also apply to the weight rule, because we see many examples of how this weight requirement affects the physical and mental health of the athletes.”
In order to ensure the survival of ski jumping, the BMI limit in the regulations must be raised “to a level that is healthy,” said Lundy, and restrictively. “Athletes who fall below the BMI limit must be blocked – and must not jump on shorter skis.”
Lundby ended her active career in 2023 due to weight problems and the consequences of radical diet methods. “At the end of my career, ski jumping felt more like a weight competition than a sporting competition,” she wrote.