After the Nordic ski ski championships were shaken by an alleged cheating scandal involving combinations handled last weekend, two competitors were disqualified and two staff members suspected of being involved.
The Norwegian Ski Federation has suspended a ski jumping coach and an equipment manager about their alleged role in a cheating scandal that rocked the world championships this weekend. He came a day after two Norwegian competitors were disqualified after the organizers said their lawsuits have broken the rules.
The two disqualified competitors were Marius Lindvik and Johann Andre Forfang. Lindvik finished second in the event before disqualification.
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Johann Andre Forfang de Norway hovers in the air during his jump in the first round of the male competition of the large hill of the Ski Fis World Cup in Zakopane, Poland, January 19, 2025. (Wojtek Radwanski / AFP)
The suspended coach is Magnus Brevik and the suspended equipment manager is Adrian Livelten. The Federation said that Brevik and Livelten were suspected of modifying ski combinations by sewing in an additional seam in order to create more uprising in the air.
The International Federation of Ski and Snowboard said earlier on Sunday that its ethics and compliance office had opened an investigation “to assess the circumstances” of disqualifications. He indicated that skiers were disqualified in relation to the male event on Saturday “following an inspection of their jump costumes, which were not in accordance with the rules of the equipment”.
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Norwegian flag in the port of Sogne in Norway on August 22, 2017. (James D. Morgan / Getty images)
“FIS independent Ethics and compliance Office is currently investigating a suspicion of illegal equipment by the Norwegian team,” said the federation.
The director of the Norwegian team, Jan-Erik Aalbu, said at a press conference that the combinations were deliberately modified.
Norway is one of the traditional powers of ski jumping, and the attempted cheating at its world championships at home has caused a massive outcry in a country that prides itself on its winter sports prowess.
The Federation admitted on Sunday that the proceedings had been deliberately modified, after an online video of the modifications made.
Brevik told Norwegian media on Monday that several team members had been involved in the decision to modify the proceedings, but that “I should have stopped him”.
Marius Lindvik of Norway participates in the ski ski cup Fis in Zakopane, Poland, January 19, 2025. (Marcin Golba / Nurphoto)
He said it was the first time that they had sewn in an additional seam, but have made an analogy of sailing to explain why a more rigid costume would help horsemen further in the air.
“A tighter sail is better than a loose sail,” said Brevik.
The Federation said that Brevik and Livelten would be suspended indefinitely during requests for information. The International Ski and Snowboard Federation said on Sunday that it had opened its own investigation.
