The suit scandal in ski jumping around the Nordic Ski World Cup in Trondheim is drawing larger and bigger circles. With Olympic champion Daniel-André Tande, the first prominent ski jumper has now publicly and openly admitted to having cheated on the basis of modified materials.
“Absolutely everyone does it,” said the Daniel-André Tande compared to the Norwegian radio “NRK” about the allegations of manipulation of the equipment.
The 2018 team Olympic champion, who ended his active career last year, openly admitted: “I would dare to say that I did this a few times.”
Tangel was particularly successful in ski flying, and between 2016 and 2020 a total of four times ski flight world champion, including three times with the Norwegian team.
In addition to the 21-time World Cup winner, other former top ski jumpers from Norway admitted. So the now 40-year-old different Jacobsen and 39-year-old Johan Remen Evensen publicly admitted manipulations on their suits.
“It’s a hard word. Fraud. But I can’t say with my hand on my heart not having done it,” said Jacobsen. “Because if the definition of fraud is to wear a somewhat too big suit, I cheated.” In 2007 Jacobsen won the four -hill tour.
Serious allegations against the world association
It was not just about illegal changes in the suit, as the Norwegians reported. Shoes, gloves and even the underwear are manipulated.
For example, Tande reported that the Norwegian athletes had changed their too dense suit material five years ago with the help of a perforation machine so that they passed the air permeability test.
According to Tande, the various nations had done that another team would have borrowed the Norwegian machine.
According to the former Springer trio from Norway, the International Ski Association FIS has the main culprit on the entire manipulation scandal because it would stimulate fraud with its rules and does not always pass through.
“The principle in sport is if you are not caught, you didn’t cheat,” said Evensen, who himself won WM silver twice with the team. “This is a problem of attitude that runs through the whole world of ski.”