Olympics
The inaugural mixed team ski jumping event at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics ended in controversy when several competitors were disqualified for their clothing.
Five jumpers were disqualified for wearing loose-fitting suits, giving athletes an advantage while airborne.Â
Austria, Germany, Japan, and Norway, were all disqualified, meaning Slovenia took gold, Russia silver, and Canada bronze.
Favorites Germany were disqualified after the first round after Katharina Althaus was judged to have worn an illegal outfit. As you’d expect, she was not happy:
“The FIS (International Ski Federation) destroyed everything with this operation. I think they have destroyed women’s ski jumping. I don’t know what they’re trying to do. I have been checked so many times in 11 years of ski jumping, and I have never been disqualified once, I know my suit was compliant.”
– Katharina Althaus
Germany coach Stefan Horngacher added that “it is just strange that they had been using the same suits yesterday and there was no problem.”
