Swimmers now have suits that are little more than a second skin that allows them to move faster through the water.
It has come to light that the Norwegian ski jumping team have some similar suits that aid in the aerodynamics and allow them to fly further. The suits are not a new design but a manipulation of previously approved suits by the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS).
The scandal has come to light as skiers gather in Oslo for the Nordic and World Championships.
Norwegian team members have profusely stated that they knew nothing about the alterations to the suits; however the FIS has issued some suspensions. Gold medal winners Marius Lindvik and Johann André Forfang have been suspended and will not be allowed to participate in the World Championships this weekend in Tronheim.
Norwegian team head coach Magnus Brevig and team equipment manager Adrian Livelten have confessed to the alterations and have been suspended. Norwegian team assistant coach Thomas Lobben has also been relieved.
Apologizing, Mganus Brevig said, “we regret it like dogs, and I’m terribly sorry that this happened. I don’t really have anything else to say other than that we got carried away in our bubble.”
Apologizing to the disqualified skiers, sponsors, and the Norwegian people, Adrian Livelten said their, “act of cheating he said was “completely unacceptable.”
The FIS governing body has confiscated every ski suit for the Norwegian team and has issued a statement saying, “FIS has provisionally suspended three Norwegian team officials and two athletes who are being investigated for their alleged involvement in illegal equipment manipulation.”
The altered suit first came to light via a secretly taped video and sent to international media. An FIS official had to tear the suits apart to find the alterations. While it was clear that the manipulations allowed the skiers to fly further, the FIS did not know exactly how much further the skiers went.
Austria, Slovenia and Poland protested when the story broke.
The investigation into the scandal continues.
FIS secretary general Michel Vion noted in a statement, “the only thing that matters for FIS is to leave this process 100% convinced that the sport is free from any form of manipulation.”
Known for their honesty and transparency, the scandal has rocked the ski jumping world.
The director for the men’s ski jumping Sandro Pertile spoke on the scandal saying, “Norway is a country that we all know as a leader in human rights, in equality, integration. I cannot believe that there is a (cheating) system.”
Adding that, “a few individuals that went really far over the limits.”
He concluded, “if the infractions seemed obscure and technical to non-fans, the breach of trust was severe: “This action was somehow killing our principles, our style, our joy for our discipline.”
On March 13, the FIS has suspended three more ski jumpers – World championship medalist Robin Pederson and Kristoffer Eriksen Sundal; as well as, ski jumper Robert Johansson. The suspensions mean that the skiers are not permitted to participate in any FIS sanctioned events.
As the investigation continues, it is not know how far the scandal may have spread and the FIS will be checking every ski suit in the upcoming competitions.