Olympic champion ski jumpers suspended as cheating scandal rocks sport

The Associated Press

· Posted: Mar 12, 2025 11:31 AM EDT | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago

Two Norwegian skis jumpers are present suspended and nether ceremonial suspicion successful a cheating scandal, the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) said Wednesday successful widening its probe of altered skis suits.

Marius Lindvik and Johann Andre Forfang, who are some Olympic golden medallists, tin nary longer vie successful a World Cup lawsuit successful Oslo that starts Thursday.

"FIS has provisionally suspended 3 Norwegian squad officials and 2 athletes who are being investigated for their alleged engagement successful amerciable instrumentality manipulation," the Switzerland-based governing assemblage said successful a statement.

Lindvik and Forfang person denied engagement successful cheating astatine the satellite championships held past week astatine Trondheim that their caput manager and instrumentality manager already confessed to.

Though some athletes were backed by the Norwegian squad insisting they knew thing astir deliberately altered skis suits, their caput manager and instrumentality manager confessed and were suspended.

The ungraded has shocked the skis jumping world, raising questions astir however wide this signifier is, and tarnished Norway's lasting for honesty successful sports.

What has emerged involves squad officials manipulating pre-approved and microchipped suits to summation their size and amended aerodynamics to assistance athletes alert further.

It was revealed successful footage secretly filmed from down a curtain past sent by a whistleblower to planetary media. An authoritative from the FIS said the amerciable alterations were lone subsequently confirmed by tearing isolated the seams of the crotch country connected the offending Norwegian skis suits.

The ungraded has unfolded successful Norway which ever scores precocious successful Transparency International's anti-corruption index, tied for 5th successful the astir caller planetary ranking.

Norwegian sports officials besides led connected arguable issues by taking nationalist positions successful 2022 successful refusing to big Russian athletes days aft the afloat penetration of Ukraine and challenging shot World Cup big Qatar connected quality rights.

The aforesaid Norwegian skis federation that helped propulsion FIS to exclude Russians 3 years agone present finds its unit and prima athletes nether probe by the Switzerland-based governing body.

'Killing our principles'

"The lone happening that matters for FIS is to permission this process 100% convinced that the athletics is escaped from immoderate signifier of manipulation," its caput wide Michel Vion said successful a connection Tuesday.

Athletes and officials from crossed the satellite near Trondheim connected Sunday bittersweet and disappointed, FIS contention manager for men's skis jumping, Sandro Pertile, told The Associated Press successful an interview.

"Norway is simply a state that we each cognize arsenic a person successful quality rights, successful equality, integration. I cannot judge that determination is simply a [cheating] system," Pertile said successful an online telephone Tuesday, suggesting determination was "a fewer individuals that went truly acold implicit the limits."

If the infractions seemed obscure and method to non-fans, the breach of spot was severe: "This enactment was someway sidesplitting our principles, our style, our joyousness for our discipline," Pertile said.

The Norwegian federation acted erstwhile FIS officials recovered grounds that proved what the concealed footage alleged, and had led to ceremonial protests from Austria, Slovenia and Poland.

Norway men's caput manager Magnus Brevig and instrumentality manager Adrian Livelten admitted they had cheated, though conscionable connected 1 occasion, up of the ample elevation lawsuit held Saturday.

"We regret it similar dogs, and I'm terribly atrocious that this happened," Brevig said. "I don't truly person thing other to accidental different than that we got carried distant successful our bubble."

Livelten apologized to the disqualified athletes positive "sponsors, the jumping household and the Norwegian people" for an enactment of cheating helium said was "completely unacceptable."

How did Norway cheat?

"It was an highly precocious level manipulation," contention manager Pertile said of the Norwegian actions that were "absolutely by acold the worst" successful his 5 years successful the job. "We destroyed the suit to beryllium capable to find this adjustment."

The Italian authoritative said alterations were not detected by oculus and lone were revealed by examining the seams of the crotch country of the skis suits aft the competition.

Extra worldly successful the aforesaid colour had been inserted that added value and helped to little the worldly betwixt an athlete's legs arsenic they took disconnected into the formation phase. More aboveground country hitting the aerial helps adhd to formation time, Pertile said.

FIS antecedently said a 5% bigger aboveground country of a suit helps an jock alert further, though the nonstop region added is not known, Pertile said.

What are the rules?

FIS has an extended 11-page papers of rules for measuring and verifying skis jumpers' suits during the season. Multiple RFID chips are attached and noted connected a FIS register, aft which a suit indispensable not beryllium altered. Any effort to region a spot should marque the suit ineligible and the chips are deactivated.

One suit is allowed astatine World Cup events and 2 much for a satellite championships oregon Winter Olympics, though conscionable 1 is utilized connected each contention day.

What is the probe about?

FIS investigators are present apt to privation to intimately inspect each the Norwegian squad suits, successful men's and women's skis jumping and Nordic combined, astatine the satellite championships.

Lindvik's golden medal successful mean elevation is definite to beryllium looked at, though it is unclear however acold backmost an probe could scope for results astatine World Cup events this play oregon beyond to erstwhile seasons. Lindvik was Olympic champion successful ample elevation astatine the 2022 Beijing Winter Games.

The skis jumping World Cup play continues for 3 much weekends, starting Thursday successful Oslo.