Christian Kathol, test manager for ski jumping at the International Ski Federation, explains in detail what the jump suit hype is all about and how the testing works.
Test jumper Ernest Prišlič after Suurmäki’s exercises, he steps into the construction booth in Planica’s Mäkimontu. It is the International Skiing Federation’s (FIS) measurement and dressage test manager by Christian Kathol a job during the World Cup.
Kathol slips his hand behind Prišlič’s back.
– I can feel very quickly with my fingers whether the suit is the right size or not, Kathol declares.
The suit may be a maximum of four centimeters larger than the athlete’s body measurements.
– Believe it or not! I have measured so many suits that I can get a clear idea of the feel of the buttons.
Prišlič’s suit seems to Kathol to be within the rules, but for this interview the test director wants to show the whole protocol.
The test jumper takes off his suit while Kathol draws a mark on the suit and on the athlete’s body with a marker so that the following procedure is valid: he checks the man’s body measurements on the papers until he finds out the measurements of the athlete and the suit with a traditional measuring tape.
Prišlič’s suit is two centimeters larger than the body, which means it is strongly allowed.
The tester then transfers the suit to a device that measures the penetration property of the equipment. The jumpsuit must let air through at least 40 liters per second.
– An old suit that has seen its best days, says Prišlič, when the measurement reading is 53 liters per second.
Finally, Kathol checks the skis, bindings and skis. If necessary, he could still measure the athlete’s underwear.
The entire testing operation is over in about five minutes.
– By far the majority of rejections come from jumpsuits, Kathol states.
Master’s smock
Normalimäki’s world champion Piotr Zyla’s jump suit raised doubts last Saturday in Planica. ZumaWire / MVPHOTOS
Ryōyū Kobayashi was disqualified in the second round of last Saturday’s normal hill competition because the front of the jump suit did not allow enough air to pass through. EPA / AOP
Last Saturday, in the normal hill World Cup competition, Kathol gave the Japanese star Ryōyū for Kobayashi red card.
– The suit did not let enough air through the front. Therefore, his second round performance was rejected.
Several pictures and videos of the world champion spread on social media after the competition Piotr Zylan from the jumpsuit. Many ski jumping insiders considered the suit to be strongly illegal and described that the Pole won the gold by cheating.
– I can tell you for sure that the suit is not too big. It has already been checked about ten times this season. It has always been completely within limits.
What about the rocking crotch?
– The share of that was measured according to the method of the ski jumping committee and the equipment committee, Kathol says somewhat cryptically.
The man says that he tests 80–85 percent of the athletes during each World Cup competition weekend.
– There is always a cheater who can get through, he states.
– For me, a good race is one when no one is rejected. That doesn’t mean someone isn’t cheating, but all the suits I’ve tested are within the rules, the tester continues.
He reminds us that “natural” suit rejections occur regularly.
– An athlete can lose weight from one to one and a half kilograms during the competition day. Then you lose 2-3 centimeters of body. Then there will not be four centimeters allowed between the dress fabric and the body, but seven. A rejection follows.
Manipulation
Christian Kathol is in his first season as the director of Fis’ measurement and dress tests. – No one has yet thrown me under the bus when I have rejected. I always explain the reason for the rejection. I stay calm and my hair doesn’t get mixed up easily, he states. PASI LEISMA
Kathol does the first part of the test with that famous button feel. PASI LEISMA
Mäkijupy insiders consider Kathol’s measurements to be reliable, but the problem is the body measurement tests performed before the start of the season.
Based on them, Fis determines what kind of suit the athlete can wear.
In the past, height and crotch measurements were taken while the athlete was standing still. For this season, the rules were changed so that during the height measurement, the athlete lies on his back on the bench. After that, a measurement of the upper body is taken from the sitting position.
– In the measurement situation, the critical areas of the thighs and groin are manipulated in every possible way so that the suits can be made bigger, says one hillman operating in Planica, who does not want to be named in this story.
The extra fabric creates a bearing surface that drastically affects the length of the jump. The advantage on a big hill is twenty meters compared to an athlete who uses completely legal equipment.
– I understand the topic very well. I know many have tried to manipulate their measurements. I now have to act according to the measurement methods in use, but I believe the situation will be different in the future, Kathol commented.
3D technology
This device measures the air permeability properties of the jumpsuit. PASI LEISMA
Fis is introducing 3D technology. Humpa’s plot is simplified: a scanning device working with cameras makes a measurement.
– This is not a new technology. It is used a lot in the textile industry: people who undergo the scan get clothes that fit their body perfectly. The more cameras there are, the more accurate the final result.
It is possible that the 3D technology will be put into use already next season.
“Stretching the rules”
Christian Kathol (left) measured test jumper Ernest Prišlič’s suit after Suurmäki practice in Planica on Wednesday. PASI LEISMA
Bertil Pålsrud has worked in the International Ski Federation in various roles since 1992.
He admits that measurement and costume scandals are bad publicity for the sport.
– However, I wouldn’t talk about cheating. That’s how it goes in all sports, trying to stretch the rules. The teams focus on how it is possible to move in the gray area of the rules. For example, in 2003 there was talk that Austria had huge suits, says Pålsrud, who is currently working on the Fis mountain committee.
He believes that 3D technology will take the rule breakers by storm.
– It has been tried for 15 years, but it has not been successful. We already had a prototype, but it was a huge device that was difficult to move. Now it seems that technology is on our side and in the near future we will get a new measurement method for pre-season tests and post-race equipment tests.
The Norwegian does not promise that the new device will be in use already next season.
– We must have absolute certainty that the device works and moves the sport forward.
While waiting for the new testing device, the wild mood continues.
– Yes, here you have to try to go with the upper limits of the costumes. If there are no warnings and rejections, then there is not enough effort, stated the Finnish head coach Janne Väätäinen after Saturday’s normal hill race.
The measurement is done classically with a tape measure. PASI LEISMA