Latest news with #skiJumping
CBS News
14 hours ago
- Sport
- CBS News
Olympic gold medalist ski jumpers on Norway team charged in equipment cheating scandal caught on video
Two Olympic gold medalist ski jumpers and three staffers on the powerful Norway men's team were charged with ethics violations Monday after an investigation into alleged tampering with ski suits at the world championships. The International Ski and Snowboard Federation said star ski jumpers Marius Lindvik and Johann André Forfang, two coaches and a member of the service staff were formally charged as part of an investigation into "equipment manipulation" at the Nordic worlds Norway hosted in March. The five were all provisionally suspended in March pending an investigation, the BBC reported at the time. Illegally modified suits can help athletes fly further with more aerodynamic resistance. The allegations - backed by video footage and quick confessions by team officials - shook the tight-knit communities of ski jumping and Norwegian sports when they emerged on the final weekend in Trondheim. No timetable was given for hearings or verdicts in a case that intensifies less than six months before the next Winter Olympics open in northern Italy. Bans, fines and disqualification of results are on the slate of punishments open to the FIS Ethics Committee, the governing body said in a statement. Lindvik's gold medal in the men's normal hill event at the worlds held in Trondheim, plus Norway's bronze in the men's team event on the large hill are clearly at risk. FIS said the investigation conducted 38 witness interviews and examined 88 pieces of evidence, and that no one else will be charged in the case. Lindvik and Forfang, who both were in the team that took bronze, denied involvement in March though were disqualified from the individual large hill event and suspended by FIS for the rest of the season. Their charges were signed off by the FIS ruling council, the governing body said. The 27-year-old Lindvik has been expected to defend his Olympic title next year in the men's large hill event at the Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Games. Forfang, now 30, took team gold on the large hill and individual silver on the normal hill at the 2018 Olympics held in South Korea. Admissions of guilt were made in March by head coach Magnus Brevik and equipment manager Adrian Livelten, who said suits were altered only before the men's large hill event. "We regret it like dogs, and I'm terribly sorry that this happened," Brevik said at the time. A third team staffer, Thomas Lobben, also is now charged. Speaking at the time the allegations emerged, FIS general manager Jan-Erik Aalbu said the team had "tried to cheat the system" by putting reinforced thread in the jumpsuits of Lindvik and Forfang, the BBC reported. The manipulation was to increase the size of suits pre-approved and microchipped by FIS, and was captured on secretly filmed footage. It led to formal protests from the Austria, Slovenia and Poland teams. The alterations could be confirmed only by tearing apart the seams of the crotch area on the Norwegian ski suits. FIS said that its investigators looked at five key issues, whether: "coaches Magnus Brevig and Thomas Lobben and suit technician acted in violation of the rules in orchestrating the equipment manipulation; athletes Marius Lindvik and Johann André Forfang knowingly acted in contravention of relevant FIS rules; the conspiracy spread further in the team, either to other athletes or other staff members of the Norwegian NSA; the Norwegian team had engaged in the same or similar equipment violations in the past; and/or the conspiracy spread to other teams. The case will be judged by three members of the ethics panel which must reach verdicts "no later than 30 days after the hearing process is concluded," FIS said. FIS has already tightened up its rules on ski jump suits, something which caused a spate of disqualifications when athletes gathered for the first competition of the new season Saturday. FIS said that was down to technical issues and it didn't suspect "ill intent."
National Post
a day ago
- Sport
- National Post
Norwegians charged over 'manipulation' in ski jumping's suit-cheating saga
Two Olympic gold medalist ski jumpers and three staffers on the powerful Norway men's team were charged with ethics violations Monday after an investigation into alleged tampering with ski suits at the world championships. Article content The International Ski and Snowboard Federation said star ski jumpers Marius Lindvik and Johann Andre Forfang, two coaches and a member of the service staff were formally charged as part of an investigation into 'equipment manipulation' at the Nordic worlds Norway hosted in March. Article content Article content Illegally modified suits can help athletes fly further with more aerodynamic resistance. Article content The allegations — backed by video footage and quick confessions by team officials — shook the tight-knit communities of ski jumping and Norwegian sports when they emerged on the final weekend in Trondheim. Article content No timetable was given for hearings or verdicts in a case that intensifies less than six months before the next Winter Olympics open in northern Italy. Article content Bans, fines and disqualification of results are on the slate of punishments open to the FIS Ethics Committee, the governing body said in a statement. Article content Lindvik's gold medal in the men's normal hill event at the worlds held in Trondheim, plus Norway's bronze in the men's team event on the large hill are clearly at risk. Article content FIS said the investigation conducted 38 witness interviews and examined 88 pieces of evidence, and that no one else will be charged in the case. Article content Lindvik and Forfang, who both were in the team that took bronze, denied involvement in March though were disqualified from the individual large hill event and suspended by FIS for the rest of the season. Their charges were signed off by the FIS ruling council, the governing body said. Article content Article content The 27-year-old Lindvik has been expected to defend his Olympic title next year in the men's large hill event at the Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Games. Forfang, now 30, took team gold on the large hill and individual silver on the normal hill at the 2018 Olympics held in South Korea. Article content Admissions of guilt were made in March by head coach Magnus Brevik and equipment manager Adrian Livelten, who said suits were altered only before the men's large hill event. Article content 'We regret it like dogs, and I'm terribly sorry that this happened,' Brevik said at the time. A third team staffer, Thomas Lobben, also is now charged. Article content The manipulation was to increase the size of suits pre-approved and microchipped by FIS, and was captured on secretly filmed footage. It led to formal protests from the Austria, Slovenia and Poland teams. Article content The alterations could be confirmed only by tearing apart the seams of the crotch area on the Norwegian ski suits. Article content The case will be judged by three members of the ethics panel which must reach verdicts 'no later than 30 days after the hearing process is concluded,' FIS said. Article content
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ski jumping's suit-cheating saga rolls on as 5 Norwegians are charged over 'manipulation'
OBERHOFEN, Switzerland (AP) — Two Olympic gold medalist ski jumpers and three staffers on the dominant Norwegian team have been charged with ethics violations by the International Ski Federation after an investigation into alleged tampering with ski suits. The FIS said Monday that star ski jumpers Marius Lindvik and Johann André Forfang, two coaches and a member of the service staff were charged under ethics and competition rules following an investigation into 'equipment manipulation.' The allegations first emerged around the world championships in Norway in March and shook the tight-knit ski jumping community. Illegally modified suits could help athletes to fly further. The charges come six months before the Winter Olympics. FIS said its ethics committee will rule on the charges and could impose bans or fines. It didn't say how soon a ruling is expected. FIS said the investigation conducted 38 witness interviews and examined 88 pieces of evidence, and that no one else will be charged in the case. FIS has already tightened up its rules on ski jump suits, something which caused a spate of disqualifications when athletes gathered for the first competition of the new season Saturday. FIS said that was down to technical issues and it didn't suspect 'ill intent.' ___ AP sports:
Associated Press
2 days ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
Ski jumping's suit-cheating saga rolls on as 5 Norwegians are charged over 'manipulation'
OBERHOFEN, Switzerland (AP) — Two Olympic gold medalist ski jumpers and three staffers on the dominant Norwegian team have been charged with ethics violations by the International Ski Federation after an investigation into alleged tampering with ski suits. The FIS said Monday that star ski jumpers Marius Lindvik and Johann André Forfang, two coaches and a member of the service staff were charged under ethics and competition rules following an investigation into 'equipment manipulation.' The allegations first emerged around the world championships in Norway in March and shook the tight-knit ski jumping community. Illegally modified suits could help athletes to fly further. The charges come six months before the Winter Olympics. FIS said its ethics committee will rule on the charges and could impose bans or fines. It didn't say how soon a ruling is expected. FIS said the investigation conducted 38 witness interviews and examined 88 pieces of evidence, and that no one else will be charged in the case. FIS has already tightened up its rules on ski jump suits, something which caused a spate of disqualifications when athletes gathered for the first competition of the new season Saturday. FIS said that was down to technical issues and it didn't suspect 'ill intent.' ___ AP sports:
BBC News
01-08-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Eddie 'the Eagle' Edwards 'ate out of bins' before 1988 Olympics
Eating food out of bins and sleeping in a cow shed does not sound like the perfect preparation for the Olympics, but that is what one British athlete did prior to making "The Eagle" Edwards said he was a "charity case" ahead of the Calgary Winter Olympics of 1988, before which he had only been ski-jumping for 22 son of a builder, he practiced on the dry slope at Gloucester Ski Centre as there were no ski jumps in the finishing last in both the events he entered, Edwards became a household name after becoming the first British competitor in ski jumping at the Olympics. While preparing for the Olympics in Lake Placid, New York, ski racing cost $300 per day, ski jumping cost just $5, but Edwards managed to train for free as he offered to shovel snow. Edwards, from Cheltenham, found some equipment in lost property, and tried ski jumping for the first time on purpose-built slopes."I was scraping food out of bins," Edwards told the BBC's Sport's Greatest Underdogs podcast."The more I could ski jump, the better I could get and, even if I had $100 left, I wanted to make that $100 last."I thought, 'If I just buy bread and milk and scrape food out of bins and sleep in the car, I can stay out here for three months."Edwards said he also once slept in his car in -25°C weather. While training in Kandersteg in Switzerland, Edwards took on board some advice from his dad who had told him: "If you ever go travelling, always make friends with a chef, you'll never go hungry.""I asked hotels if they needed any work doing... I met two brothers and they let me cut their grass and gave me a free meal," Edwards said."One of the brothers was a chef. If I was passing the hotel and he saw me, he'd open the window and lob me a tin of beans or pears. I'd think, 'Oh great, that's my meal for tonight'." "The British Scout groups where I was staying would give me their spare food before they went home. They were lovely. "For the other jumpers at the time, they stayed in five-star hotels. They had the doctors, psychologists, and there was just me on my own."I was like a charity case really. It was tough - but I had so much fun."Sport's Greatest Underdogs is available on BBC Sounds
