Jan 15 (Reuters) – Three officials from the Norwegian men’s ski jumping team were suspended for 18 months and fined by the FIS Ethics Committee (FEC) on Thursday for manipulating racing suits during last year’s Nordic World Ski Championships in Trondheim.
Head coach Magnus Brevik, former assistant coach Thomas Lobben and suit technician Adrian Livelten were sanctioned following an investigation into equipment tampering at the men’s major hill event in March 2025.
The controversy erupted after Norwegian Olympic champions Marius Lindvik and Johann Andre Forfang, along with the coaching staff, were charged with using modified suits.
Lindvik initially finished second but was stripped of his silver medal after being disqualified, while Forfang, who finished fourth, was also disqualified after an equipment inspection.
The Norwegian Ski Federation admitted after the competition that the team had rigged the suits, but said the ski jumpers were not to blame for the violations. The organizers found nothing unusual during the first check, but discovered other material in the seams after the race.
In a statement, FIS said the trio would be ineligible for a period “of 18 months, starting from the date of the decision (January 8, 2026), minus the period of provisional suspension already served since March 12, 2025.”
The governing body added that they would each have to contribute CHF 5,000 ($6,246.88) towards the costs of the procedure and investigation.
In a statement to Norwegian broadcaster NRK, the trio’s lawyers said the decision was “disproportionately harsh”.
“The grounds of the judgment expressly state that similar rule violations have not previously been punished – or have only been received with a warning – and that this case is used as an example to mark a new and stricter line in international ski jumping,” she added.
