Drastic penalties after suit fraud in ski jumping at the 2025 Nordic World Ski Championships: A Norwegian trio was banned for a long time by the FIS.
The three former officials Magnus Brevig, Thomas Lobben and Adrian Livelten will be sidelined for a long time for their role in the suit scandal at the 2025 World Ski Jumping Championships in Trondheim. As the FIS announced on Thursday, each of them will receive a ban of 18 months and a fine of around 5,000 euros each.
In a joint statement, the three Norwegians said that they considered the punishment to be correct in principle, but that the punishment now imposed was disproportionately high. It is said to be “disproportionate” compared to penalties previously imposed in similar cases.
“We therefore believe that the decision is unreasonably harsh and that we must be used as scapegoats for a larger, systematic problem,” said Brevig, Lobben and Livelten.
The trio was taken out of circulation by the FIS in the spring. The three Norwegians have been officially banned since March 12th. This time will be counted towards your 18-month ban.
Brevig worked as the men’s national coach at the 2025 World Cup, Lobben as an assistant coach. Livelten, in turn, was responsible for the material that triggered the whole scandal in the first place.
Video reveals ski jumping scandal
At the World Cup, a video emerged that showed the three Norwegians manipulating their athletes’ suits and sewing in additional straps to create buoyancy. The case immediately caused a stir and numerous nations immediately lodged an official protest.
The FIS reacted directly back then and disqualified Marius Lindvik and Johann André Forfang. Those responsible finally admitted the manipulation and explained that they had deliberately violated the rules.
Among other things, the scandal caused the FIS to change its measurement procedure for suits to ensure that in the future jumping would be carried out with equality of arms.