SKI JUMPERS BANNED FOR TAMPERING WITH SUITS

With so much at stake in sport – in financial and sporting terms – cheating takes many different forms.

A recent case in point involved two Norwegian Olympian ski jumpers, who have accepted three-month suspensions for their part in the tampering of their ski jumpsuits during the World Ski Championships in Trondheim, Norway, which were held earlier this year.

Olympic medallists, Marius Lindvik and Johann Andre Forfang, together with three team officials, were charged by the International Ski Federation (FIS) with equipment manipulation, which came to light during a routine equipment check.

It appears that reinforced thread had been used in their ski jump suits, improving the aerodynamics of them and giving them an unfair advantage, contrary to FIS competition rules.

It also appears that neither of them was aware of this situation.

However, rather like anti-doping rule violations, the Ethics Commission of FIS applied a strict liability principle to the case, stating that:

„They were not charged with actual knowledge of the manipulations…[but]…they should have checked and asked questions about the night-time adjustments.”

Their lawyers remarked that:

“The case shows that routines for communication between the support staff handling equipment and suits, and the athletes, should be improved to prevent similar situations from occurring in the future.“

Apart from their suspensions, the ski jumpers were ordered to pay Sw. Frs. 2,000 as a contribution to the cost of the disciplinary proceedings.

They will be eligible to compete in the Winter Olympics, which take place in Milan-Cortina in February 2026.

We act in all kinds of disputes relating to skiing, including cases of cheating and doping, and further information and advice is available from Dr Lucien Valloni and Noemi Delli Colli by emailing them at valloni@valloni.ch and dellicolli@valloni.ch respectively.