Norwegian scandal
Ski jumping manipulation “Without any scruple”
10.03.2025 – 9:12 a.m.Reading time: 3 min.
The Norwegians have admitted to manipulated suits from their ski jumping stars. The other nations are horrified – and demand education.
When the Norwegian Marius Lindvik landed in the second round at the World Cup from the Großschanze after 139.5 meters, he clapped his fists and raised his arms in the air. He screamed his joy and won silver – actually. Because then it was disqualified. The World Association FIS justified the decision with a “manipulation of the suit”.
FIS racing director Sandro Pertile said after the disqualifications: “I’m shocked. We would not have expected something like that. After the competition, we were able to better control the suits. Some had something striking.” What exactly? “The seam was the problem here. It was a different material in the seam. We now have to look at the situation in peace and make an analysis,” continued Pertile. On Sunday evening, Norway’s sports director Jan Erik Aalbu admitted at a press conference that the team deliberately cheated.
Aalbu said: “We made changes to the suits in the knowledge that they are not legal. As I see it, we cheated. We tried to trick the system. This is unacceptable. We all disappointed who love ski jumping.” The Norwegians service team had added seams to the suits of Marius Lindvik and Johann André Forfang. An anonymously filmed and appeared video shows the action and also that Norway’s head coach Magnus Brevig was sitting. In a message to the newspaper “Dagbladet”, the coach announced that he was “incredibly sorry for what happened”. However, the other nations and the German Ski Association (DSV) have no understanding of such a procedure.
DSV board member Stefan Schwarzbach emphasized at the German Press Agency: “This is already speechless if you show yourself, as was obviously manipulated here without any scruples.” The German Association calls for a complete clarification of the events and the associated consequences.
Schwarzbach continued: “The fact is that the allegations and suspicions that have been in the room since yesterday are significantly further passed on than what has now been granted from the Norwegian side.” According to the Norwegians, manipulation took place without consultation with the ski jumpers and only took place for a competition. However, there are discussions because Lindvik won the normal hill World Cup gold in the competition.
Christian Scherer, Managing Director of the Austrian Ski Association, is more than upset. He said in relation to the Norwegians and the Aalbu press conference, who claimed not to know anything: “There was no insight. It was very peculiar, arrogant and not very credible. He did not answer the essential and most obvious questions.”
World Cup winner Lindvik did not want to know anything about the fraudulent methods of his Norwegians at the World Cup in Trondheim. He explained in a message from the Norwegian association in relation to himself and his team -mate forfang: “We are both completely destroyed. None of us would have jumped with a suit that we knew that he was manipulated. Never.”
In an interview with T-Online, the German ski jumping icon Sven Hannawald already complained about the material and the changes since the beginning of the season. Therefore, the 50-year-old says to T-Online: “I hope that measurements can be regulated more clearly through technical support. Just like the 3D measurement at the beginning of the season that it also works on the ski jump. That the jumpers are not dependent on human stress or influence.”
Why? “A machine says green or red, there is no yellow. Accordingly, I hope that in the near future no one will make the measurements, but a machine. People can be influenced in every situation.” Read more about Sven Hannawald’s view here. The former German ski jumper also said as an ARD expert: “I can’t look at it. I live ski jumping, I love ski jumping. When I see something like that, that’s a no-go.” Then he added, with a view to the importance of Norwegian manipulation for his sport: “If there was a darker color as black, I would take it. Of course, this is an absolute tragedy and an absolute farce.”