Ski jumping : the FIS strengthens its controls and sanctions after the Norwegian scandal
Following the Norwegian ski jumping scandal, the International Ski Federation (FIS) has decided to step up checks on equipment and review its system of sanctions. This was reported by Dagbladet after Tuesday’s digital meeting of the equipment committee.
“We need stricter controls and a control body that applies the regulations more firmly. The nations and the public must regain confidence in the FIS,” Tom Hilde told the Scandinavian daily. He was the Norwegian representative at the meeting.
Yellow and red cards will be handed out, just like in football.
“If you’re disqualified during a race, you get a yellow card. It’s like a warning. If you’re disqualified again, you get a red card and you have to miss a World Cup weekend. Hopefully this will put everyone back on the right track,” he explained.
From now on, there will be two people in charge of equipment control. Until now, there was usually only one.
Nettavisen spoke to Norway’s director of ski jumping, Jan-Erik Aalbu. He says that a red card would not only deprive the athlete of a World Cup weekend, but would also affect the country’s quota of participants.
“Nations must be able to count on more effective control procedures than before”, said the official, who also called for greater fairness.
The Nordic World Ski Championships in Trondheim were marked by a resounding scandal involving the Norwegian ski jumping team. Several athletes, including Olympic champions Marius Lindvik and Johann André Forfang, were disqualified for using non-compliant suits that had been tampered with after official checks. The case came to light after a video emerged showing Norwegian head coach Magnus Brevig altering the athletes’ suits with a sewing machine. In-depth inspections revealed that extra materials had been added to the seams to improve aerodynamics and encourage longer jumps. When confronted with the evidence, the Norwegian Ski Federation admitted the cheating.
