Latest news with #SandroPertile
The Mainichi
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Mainichi
Ski jumping's suit trouble is back ahead of Olympics as numerous athletes disqualified
(AP) -- The right suit can help send a ski jumper soaring to gold. The wrong suit will get you grounded. Ski jumping faces more controversy with six months to go until the Winter Olympics after the first high-level competition of the new season saw numerous athletes disqualified over ill-fitting suits. The governing body says it's "perfectly normal." The ski jumping world was rocked in March by the discovery of illegally altered suits on the Norwegian team at the world championships. The International Ski Federation investigated officials and athletes over those changes which could help the wearer soar through the air for longer with the suit's larger surface area. In Saturday's first event of the 2025-26 season -- a summer Grand Prix event on an artificial surface in France -- six male ski jumpers were disqualified because of suit issues such as waist size and three more were "not permitted to start." Another jumper from Japan was blocked from competing as the Grand Prix continued Sunday. The federation told The Associated Press in an e-mailed statement that it's treating the spate of disqualifications as the natural result of tightening up the rules after the Norwegian suit scandal. FIS race director Sandro Pertile said he doesn't think anyone was trying to cheat and that fewer disqualifications will occur as teams get used to the rules. Making specialized ski jumping equipment is "a fairly complicated matter," he said. "It's perfectly normal for teams to need some time to adapt to the new situation after such comprehensive changes to the equipment regulations. Some cope with it straight away, others find it difficult at first," Pertile told the AP. "It's also important to highlight that these disqualifications are clearly a result of technical inadequacies -- there's no sign whatsoever of ill intent from the teams." FIS indicated that a further nine men and five women didn't compete following a "technical approval" process, though it wasn't clear if all of those cases involved their suits. Five of those 14 were on the United States team, which didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Among those disqualified Saturday was Norway's Kristoffer Eriksen Sundal, who had previously been provisionally suspended earlier this year following the world championships. FIS signaled it will remain rigorous in its checks through the Olympic season but expects to find athletes wearing increasingly snug -- and therefore legal -- suits. "The teams know that they have our full support, and we expect the number of disqualifications to decrease significantly in the coming weeks," Pertile said. "With that said, we will remain strict and precise with equipment check the whole season long; there is no room for exceptions."
Winnipeg Free Press
5 days ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Ski jumping's suit trouble is back ahead of Olympics as numerous athletes disqualified
The right suit can help send a ski jumper soaring to gold. The wrong suit will get you grounded. Ski jumping faces more controversy with six months to go until the Winter Olympics after the first high-level competition of the new season saw numerous athletes disqualified over ill-fitting suits. The governing body says it's 'perfectly normal.' The ski jumping world was rocked in March by the discovery of illegally altered suits on the Norwegian team at the world championships. The International Ski Federation investigated officials and athletes over those changes which could help the wearer soar through the air for longer with the suit's larger surface area. In Saturday's first event of the 2025-26 season — a summer Grand Prix event on an artificial surface in France — six male ski jumpers were disqualified because of suit issues such as waist size and three more were 'not permitted to start.' Another jumper from Japan was blocked from competing as the Grand Prix continued Sunday. The federation told The Associated Press in an e-mailed statement that it's treating the spate of disqualifications as the natural result of tightening up the rules after the Norwegian suit scandal. FIS race director Sandro Pertile said he doesn't think anyone was trying to cheat and that fewer disqualifications will occur as teams get used to the rules. Making specialized ski jumping equipment is 'a fairly complicated matter,' he said. 'It's perfectly normal for teams to need some time to adapt to the new situation after such comprehensive changes to the equipment regulations. Some cope with it straight away, others find it difficult at first,' Pertile told the AP. 'It's also important to highlight that these disqualifications are clearly a result of technical inadequacies — there's no sign whatsoever of ill intent from the teams.' FIS indicated that a further nine men and five women didn't compete following a 'technical approval' process, though it wasn't clear if all of those cases involved their suits. Five of those 14 were on the United States team, which didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Among those disqualified Saturday was Norway's Kristoffer Eriksen Sundal, who had previously been provisionally suspended earlier this year following the world championships. FIS signaled it will remain rigorous in its checks through the Olympic season but expects to find athletes wearing increasingly snug — and therefore legal — suits. 'The teams know that they have our full support, and we expect the number of disqualifications to decrease significantly in the coming weeks,' Pertile said. 'With that said, we will remain strict and precise with equipment check the whole season long; there is no room for exceptions.' ___ AP sports:
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ski jumping official won't rule out more Norway DQs from worlds
Norway could face further qualifications from world championship events in an affair around manipulated ski jumping suits, race director Sandro Pertile has said. Pertile said ahead of the weekend's World Cup finals in Planica, Slovenia that he would not rule out German Andreas Wellinger being declared normal hill world champion if there are further disqualifications at the end of an external probe. Governing body FIS had originally ruled out new classifications in events beyond the large hill where Norwegians Andreas Lindvik and Johann Andre Forfang were disqualified after originally finishing second and fourth, respectively, at the home worlds in Trondheim. "We didn't know on that Saturday night what had happened. You must understand the whole situation, and understand when these manipulations started. The decisions will then be very firm," Pertile told dpa. An anonymous and secretly taken video showed Norwegian staff adding a forbidden extra seam to the suits which gives the jumper more stability in the air. Norway admitted to the manipulation, for that one event, and five jumpers and officials have been suspended. Lindvik, who along with Forfang said they knew nothing about the manipulation, won the normal hill competition a week earlier ahead of Wellinger. Both were also part of the Norwegian team that won mixed team gold ahead of Slovenia. The FIS has tasked an external commission to establish the facts. Pertile said he expects results by summer, and that the jumpers and officials remain suspended until then.
