Suit-Tampering Scandal Haunts Norway Ahead Of Olympics
January 15 (Reuters) – Three officials of Norway’s men’s ski jumping team were suspended for 18 months and fined by the FIS Ethics Committee (FEC) on Thursday for manipulating competition outfits at 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 tampering with equipment during the men’s major hill event in March 2025.
The controversy erupted after Norway’s Olympic champions Marius Lindvik and Johann Andre Forfang, along with their coaching staff, were accused of using modified suits.
Lindvik initially placed second but was stripped of her silver medal after being disqualified, while Forfang, who placed fourth, was also disqualified following an equipment inspection.
The Norwegian Ski Federation admitted after the competition that the team had made changes to the overalls, but said that the ski jumpers were not at fault for these violations. The organizers did not encounter any problems during the initial inspection, but after the race they discovered different materials in the seams.
FIS said in a statement that the trio “will be ineligible for a period of 18 months, starting from the date of decision (January 8, 2026), excluding the period of temporary suspension that has been in place since March 12, 2025.”
The governing body added that they should each contribute CHF 5,000 ($6,246.88) towards the costs of the lawsuit and investigation.
The trio’s lawyers told Norwegian broadcaster NRK that the decision was “disproportionately harsh”.
“The reasons for the decision clearly state that similar breaches of rules have not previously been met with any sanctions or only a warning, and this case is used as an example to mark a new, stricter line in international ski jumping.”
