The scandal around manipulated suits at the Nordic Ski World Cup in Trondheim draws further circles. As became known at a press conference on the Holmenkollen in Oslo, the Ski World Association FIS has blocked three other ski jumper.
On the basis of the first results of the study initiated on Sunday, Kristoffer Eriksen Sundal, Robert Johansson and Robin Pedersen were temporarily blocked.
“We are dealing with intentional manipulation here,” said FIS racing director Sandro Pertile about the Norwegians’ approach to the second World Cup in the men. He thinks the world association “on a good way” when dealing with.
Pertile justified the suspension of the three athletes by founding “something illegal, but something different than with the other two”. However, the ski jumping boss did not go into detail and referred to the still ongoing examination process.
From the Italian’s point of view, it is also clear: “Our greatest priority is to determine the extent of these manipulations. The damage is obvious, but if we know what circles this is pulling, we can continue to make it easier.”
Just a few minutes earlier, those three athletes had started in official training on the RAW-Air tour. Sundal and Pedersen were part of the bronze quartet in the team competition at the home World Cup in Trondheim, but the latter were not in individual. It remains unclear when the manipulations were carried out exactly.
No abnormalities among jumpers
Already on Wednesday, the top athletes Marius Lindvik and Johann André Forfang as well as team trainer Magnus Brevig, the assistant coach Thomas Lobben and the service employee Adrian were blocked. Norway’s association admitted the intentional manipulation of the Lindvik and Forfang suits. However, both world champions emphasize that they themselves knew nothing about the illegal practices.
In contrast, no abnormalities were found in Norway’s ski jumpers as well as with both teams in the Nordic combination, the suits of which were also confiscated and inspected, added FIS press chief Bruno Sassi.
Combi racing director Lasse Ottesen confirmed that the catalog of measures, which was approved for ski jumping on Wednesday evening, will also be used in this discipline. Thus, all athletes must have their suits inspected on Friday morning and hand over to the responsible FIS controllers, which they then keep over the competition weekend and only publish 30 minutes before the jump and take it back at the latest 30 minutes later.
However, the national teams were responsible for the transport of the equipment between the competition locations, i.e. Vikersund (ski jumping) and Oslo (Nordic combination) to the next station to Lahti, as pertile confirmed: “After all, the suits are not our property and we do not take any responsibility in the event of damage.”
FIS emphasizes independence of the investigation
FIS-PRESSCHOPT SASSI, meanwhile, emphasized that all organs with the independent ethics office that leads the investigation and are based on their requirements: “They are also those who decide on the sanctions for individual and officials.
The Secretary General of the World Association, Michel Vion, also made it clear with a dark expression: “I hear from all possible pages that surgery is being made, especially in ski jumping at the limit and beyond. The rules are clear and it is not a game that is played here.”
After a journalist had questioned the role of pertile in the cause, he vehemently stood in front of his colleagues: “One thing is clear: Sandro will not resign. And even if he wants, I won’t allow that. This question is a joke, right?”
He expressly emphasized the good exchange that one had with each other, including during the World Cup in Trondheim. With Ottesen, this had been given thoughts about the future of ski jumping and the Nordic combination.
“We do our best to do the sport better and fairer. An idea was a unit suit for all athletes you wear all the season all the season.