Dominance thanks to material tricks? The suspicion of cheating against Austria’s ski jumping team at the 73rd Four Hills Tournament is spreading further.
An unnamed insider explained to “Bild” with a view to the magnificent ÖSV results in Oberstdorf and Garmisch-Partenkirchen: “They must all have big balls” – an allusion to the supposedly larger area of fabric in the crotch of the Austrian jump suits, which is the significance in the air should improve.
There is also speculation surrounding the Four Hills Tournament about a so-called “miracle fabric” in certain parts of the ÖSV suits as well as an innovative connection between skis and boots, writes the tabloid.
But: According to FIS material controller Christian Kathol, his Austrian compatriots will be checked just as strictly as the rest of the tour starter field. “My cap says FIS, not ÖSV. Everyone tries to achieve the best in all areas. I’ve been ski jumping since 2005, I know something about the sport,” he said.
Kathol described: “All jumpers were screened with 3D scanners before the season and these pictures don’t lie. Everyone was measured wearing uniform underpants. I traveled with 100 pieces in my hand luggage at the time. Due to the new rules, every jump suit was registered in advance “Cheating has become much, much more difficult. And I would also recognize it if other materials were sewn into the suits.”
Why are the ÖSV ski jumpers around overall leader Daniel Tschofenig so strong and have so far dominated the tour competition at will? “The Austrians have simply done their homework very well and are currently jumping with the best technique,” said Kathol.
Four Hills Tournament: Cheating? There is a lot of speculation in Norway
There were rumors about the Austrians’ alleged “miracle suits” especially in Norway. “It’s suspicious. There must be something there,” explained “NRK” expert Maren Lundby. Johann Andre Forfang said: “We are scratching our heads and wondering what the Austrians have come up with.”
The ÖSV camp then dismissed all speculation. “Nonsense. These aren’t new suits, we’ve had them since Lillehammer,” said head coach Andreas Widhölzl and also mentioned the controls by Kathol in this context.
The former Four Hills Tournament winner continued: “It has to be said that our boys are currently jumping technically better than everyone else. And they have of course also had incredible self-confidence since the triple victory in Engelberg.”