- Three additional athletes suspended, including World Championships medalists
- Total of five Norwegian jumpers now barred in widening FIS investigation
- Equipment tampering aimed to enhance aerodynamics during flights
- Confessions from coaching staff reveal intentional rule violations
The International Ski Federation (FIS) has escalated its probe into competitive integrity violations, suspending three more Norwegian ski jumpers following damning evidence of equipment manipulation. This development comes just 24 hours after Olympic champions Marius Lindvik and Johann André Forfang faced similar sanctions, exposing systemic misconduct within Norway's elite jumping program.
Forensic analysis of competition suits revealed unauthorized modifications to fabric tension points and seam placements - alterations that could improve aerodynamic performance by 2-3% according to sports engineering experts. While the women's team equipment showed compliance, male competitors' gear contained suspicious irregularities that bypassed pre-approval inspection protocols.
FIS Secretary General Michel Vion emphasized the federation's zero-tolerance stance during a press conference in Oslo: 'This isn't marginal rule interpretation - we're confronting deliberate technological cheating. Our 2023 equipment regulations leave no room for ambiguous compliance.' The suspended athletes face potential bans through the 2026 Winter Olympics.
The scandal mirrors Austria's 2018 ski jumping controversy where wax technicians manipulated boot angles to gain unfair airtime advantages. Industry analysts note a 41% increase in winter sports equipment violations since 2020, correlating with advances in material science and performance analytics.
Norwegian team officials confirmed the immediate dismissal of head coach Magnus Brevig and equipment manager Adrian Livelten, both of whom admitted to orchestrating the scheme. FIS investigators will review training facility footage and manufacturing records to determine the violations' full scope.
As the World Cup event in Oslo proceeds under enhanced scrutiny, all athlete gear undergoes real-time biometric verification. This incident has reignited debates about technological ethics in winter sports, with the FIS Ethics Committee proposing mandatory engineering transparency standards by 2025.
