Manipulation scandal in ski jumping Norway's sports director admits: "We cheated"
Following the suit manipulation of Marius Lindvik and Johann André Forfang, Norway's sports director admits to cheating. However, he himself claims to have known nothing about the practices. Meanwhile, other ski associations are shocked by the scandal.
10.03.2025, 10:09
10.03.2025, 10:17
dpa
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- Norway's sports director Jan Erik Aalbu admits that the ski jumping team knowingly cheated at the World Championships.
- The affected ski jumpers Marius Lindvik and Johann André Forfang claim to have known nothing about the fraudulent methods of the Norwegians: "We are both completely devastated."
- Other ski associations are shocked by the confession of cheating. "It's clear manipulation, similar to doping," says Poland's head coach Thomas Thurnbichler.
Norway's ski association has knowingly admitted to its own cheating in the scandal surrounding manipulated ski jumping suits. Sports Director Jan Erik Aalbu said this at a press conference at the end of the World Championships in Trondheim.
"We cheated and disappointed all ski jumping fans, including ourselves. I would like to apologize to the other teams, the jumpers, the sponsors and the fans. We will get to the bottom of it," said Aalbu at the team hotel. However, it was only about the two suits of Marius Lindvik and Johann André Forfang. Aalbu himself had no knowledge of the practices, he explained.
"Breaking the rules" becomes "fraud"
Anonymously filmed and published videos have been causing a stir in ski jumping since Saturday. The footage shows how the Norwegian team, in the presence of head coach Magnus Brevig, is working on the competition suits in an unauthorized manner. The Norwegians have attached an unauthorized seam to provide more stability. The additional stability helps the jumpers to fly in the air.
The athletes Lindvik, Forfang and Kristoffer Eriksen Sundal were subsequently disqualified. Lindvik had won silver from the large hill before his result was deleted, but was disqualified.
Lindvik claims to have known nothing about the cheating methods of his fellow Norwegians. "We are both completely devastated. Neither of us would have jumped with a suit that we knew was rigged. Never," Lindvik and his colleague Johann André Forfang were quoted as saying in a joint association statement. On Saturday, the Norwegians had still spoken of "a breach of the rules".
"This was manipulated without any scruples"
Other ski associations reacted with shock to the admission of cheating from Norway: "It leaves you speechless when you realize how there was obviously manipulation without any scruples," said Stefan Schwarzbach from the German Ski Association DSV in response to a DPA inquiry.
The Austrians are going one step further than the DSV and want to strip the Norwegian ski jumping and combined teams of all their World Championship medals. After Norway's Aalbu's press conference, managing director Christian Scherer railed. "There was zero insight. That was very strange, arrogant and not very credible. He didn't give any answers to the essential and most obvious questions," said Scherer.
"This arrogance should be punished. If someone doesn't have his discipline under control, then he is ripe for a resignation," demanded the ÖSV official. He urged the Norwegians to suspend all those responsible until further notice in the course of the investigation.
Consequences still unclear
Poland's head coach Thomas Thurnbichler raged: "I think it's a joke. It's clear manipulation and clear sports fraud, similar to doping." Thurnbichler added that he was no longer talking to his fellow coach Brevig.
Sports director Aalbu left open whether there will now be personnel consequences for Aalbu and Brevig, who was also involved. The case will have consequences, but it is still too early to say what they will be.
