The right suit can help send a ski jumper soaring to gold. The wrong suit will get you grounded.
Ski jumping faces more controversy with six months to go until the Winter Olympics after the first high-level competition of the new season saw numerous athletes disqualified over ill-fitting suits. The governing body says it's “perfectly normal.”
The ski jumping world was rocked in March by the discovery of illegally altered suits on the Norwegian team at the world championships. The International Ski Federation investigated officials and athletes over those changes which could help the wearer soar through the air for longer with the suit’s larger surface area.
In Saturday's first event of the 2025-26 season — a summer Grand Prix event on an artificial surface in France — six male ski jumpers were disqualified because of suit issues such as waist size and three more were “not permitted to start.” Another jumper from Japan was blocked from competing as the Grand Prix continued Sunday.
The federation told The Associated Press in an e-mailed statement that it's treating the spate of disqualifications as the natural result of tightening up the rules after the Norwegian suit scandal.
FIS race director Sandro Pertile said he doesn't think anyone was trying to cheat and that fewer disqualifications will occur as teams get used to the rules. Making specialized ski jumping equipment is “a fairly complicated matter,” he said.
“It’s perfectly normal for teams to need some time to adapt to the new situation after such comprehensive changes to the equipment regulations. Some cope with it straight away, others find it difficult at first," Pertile told the AP.
“It’s also important to highlight that these disqualifications are clearly a result of technical inadequacies — there’s no sign whatsoever of ill intent from the teams.”
FIS indicated that a further nine men and five women didn't compete following a “technical approval” process, though it wasn't clear if all of those cases involved their suits. Five of those 14 were on the United States team, which didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Among those disqualified Saturday was Norway's Kristoffer Eriksen Sundal, who had previously been provisionally suspended earlier this year following the world championships.
FIS signaled it will remain rigorous in its checks through the Olympic season but expects to find athletes wearing increasingly snug — and therefore legal — suits.
“The teams know that they have our full support, and we expect the number of disqualifications to decrease significantly in the coming weeks,” Pertile said.
"With that said, we will remain strict and precise with equipment check the whole season long; there is no room for exceptions.”
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AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports
James Ellingworth, The Associated Press
