Farce in Olympic ski jumping: In the mixed competition, almost all top nations are disqualified – because of suits that had secured medals two days earlier. It hit the Germans in particular. The anger was correspondingly great.
Even three quarters of an hour after the decision that cost him the Olympic medal, Stefan Horngacher still couldn’t believe it. The coach of the German ski jumpers stood blankly in the catacombs of the futuristic-looking Zhangjiakou stadium – and stared blankly up at the new ski jump, which cost over 100 million euros.
A brief moment of calm after the Austrian had previously completed a media marathon and was supposed to explain what he himself had not really understood: Why was Katarina Althaus disqualified because of a suit with which she had won silver in the individual competition two days earlier?
“We don’t know exactly. You’ll have to ask the controllers that,” said Horngacher in the mixed zone, somewhat perplexed. “We don’t know exactly what it was in the end and how many centimeters the suit was too big or anything else.” Apparently Althaus’ suit was too big, added his colleague Maximilian Mechler, the women’s national coach.
The trouble about the jump suit
One thing is certain: because the suit was objected to, Althaus’ jump didn’t count and the German team missed the second round. Until then, Althaus, Selina Freitag, Karl Geiger and Constantin Schmid had been in second place and even dreamed of gold.
Among other things, the suit must not be too big, so that the athletes do not get an increased body surface, which improves the flight characteristics. Greater distances could be achieved in this way.
Men’s and women’s national coaches: Stefan Horngacher (left) and Maximilian Mechler were served after the mixed competition on Monday. (Source: Daniel Karmann/dpa)
National coach Horngacher: “For me it’s a Punch and Judy show”
“The disqualification comes a bit out of the blue because Katha’s suit fit last time. And today it suddenly doesn’t fit anymore. Difficult,” admitted Horngacher. He had previously said: “For me, this is slowly becoming a Punch and Judy show.”
But the German team was not the only one to complain about the suits. The top teams from Norway, Japan and Austria were also affected. Therefore, in the end, the outsiders Russia and Canada surprisingly stood next to Olympic champion Slovenia on the podium.
A farce for Althaus. “I’m super pissed off, I’m disappointed. It really hurts,” said the 25-year-old, who is otherwise considered to be a cheerful person. “I feel sorry for the team that my name is there.”
Catherine Althaus. Because her suit was not compliant, she was disqualified. (Source: GEPA pictures/Matic Klansek/imago images)
Horst Hüttel, the sports director of the German Ski Association, was similarly clear: “Three of the most renowned athletes were disqualified. It has never happened before that all three jumped the same suits as in the individual competition and everything worked there. The facts that we is available, I find it scandalous.”
FIS inspectors in focus
In and of itself, suit disqualifications in ski jumping are nothing unusual. But it has probably never happened that so many top teams are hit at once – especially at the Olympic Games. Particularly in focus during the process: the Polish women inspector Aga Baczkowska and Mika Jukkara, who is responsible for the men.
The Finn replaced Sepp Gratzer at the beginning of the season and quickly made a name for himself – especially in the German camp. “The new inspector has tightened the controls extremely – it also feels very tightened for the German ski jumpers,” explained Horngacher with the postscript: “We endured significantly more controls in the World Cup.”
ZDF expert Toni Innauer was not quite comfortable with the whole situation on Monday: “It’s strange things for me.” His suspicion: “The FIS was criticized internationally and now they’re making it sharp. Now they’re gaining respect – maybe also from the teams that brought the criticism. From the complainants.” He has known this pattern for many years. The complainants would be “punished again and again”.
First round in the mixed team competition: Shortly after landing, Katharina Althaus was still in the best of spirits. (Credit: REUTERS/Lindsey Wasson/Reuters)
Althaus criticizes FIS
Meanwhile, Althaus became more fundamental: “It was a premiere for ski jumping, for us women,” said the woman from the Allgäu, alluding to the mixed competition that was planned for the first time at the Olympics. “The FIS destroyed that with this action. They destroyed women’s ski jumping with it. Our names are all there now and we pulled the arse card. This destroys nations, funding and the whole sport unfair.” Geiger added: “It’s super bizarre that so many are out, it’s a tough number.”
But despite the anger: the German team will probably not lodge a subsequent protest, as national coach Horngacher explained. “The suit would then have to stay in the dressing room for the final measurement. But that’s no longer of any use once the competition is over.”