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Norway Ski Jumpers' Scandal: Officials Banned!
15 Jan
Summary
- Three Norwegian ski officials received 18-month bans for suit manipulation.
- Two Olympic medalists accepted three-month bans in August.
- Suit sizes were illegally increased to aid athletes' jumps.
Three Norwegian ski jumping officials have been banned for 18 months, bringing a resolution to a scandal involving manipulated competition suits. Head coach Magnus Brevik, assistant coach Thomas Lobben, and staff member Adrian Livelten received the suspensions from the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS). This ruling resolves a case that overshadowed Norway's hosting of the Nordic ski world championships last March.
Two prominent athletes, Olympic gold medalists Johann André Forfang and Marius Lindvik, had previously accepted three-month bans in August. They have since returned to World Cup competitions, preparing for the upcoming Milan Cortina Winter Games. The panel emphasized that cheating is antithetical to sport, endorsing the FIS sanctions sought in this case.
The manipulation, which involved altering approved suits to increase their size and aid flight distance, was exposed through secretly filmed footage. Forfang and Lindvik were disqualified from an event at the championships, though they retained other medals. The bans for the officials were backdated to the time of the championships and are set to expire in September.
