Topstar attacks German team: "That's disgusting"

"Disgusting!" Top star attacks DSV

Jarl Magnus Riiber has made clear remarks! The behavior of the Germans after the first WM individual event was "disgusting", says the Norwegian.

Riiber sharply criticized the protest lodged by the DSV regarding the results of the WM decision from the normal hill on Saturday.

"I feel physically sick and get a lot of adrenaline just thinking about how one can behave so poorly," said the record world champion to the Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet: "That's disgusting."

After the race, which Riiber won in a sprint ahead of his compatriot Jens Luraas Oftebro and the German athletes Vinzenz Geiger and Julian Schmid, the DSV officials lodged a protest stating that Oftebro had allegedly crossed the course boundary with one ski. However, the protest was quickly dismissed.

"Completely unsportsmanlike" - German team apologizes

"Such behavior is simply unsportsmanlike," said Riiber, who initially assumed that the protest was directed against him. Oftebro also expressed his confusion: "They just tried to get another medal. They can try that, but we Norwegians wouldn’t have done it like that," said the 24-year-old.

According to Oftebro, the German team ultimately apologized to him. Geiger stated at the press conference after the race: "I don't understand the protest, I can't say more."

German sports director Horst Hüttel justified the protest to SID. He said he could understand Riiber's displeasure, "but ultimately, we must stand up for our athletes."

The German officials were informed by Italians and Austrians about a possible rule violation by Oftebro. After consulting with Julian Schmid, they approached the FIS.

"They said they had no grounds to act; a protest was needed," said Hüttel, who filed the protest due to the short appeal deadline of only 15 minutes. "It was then reviewed with the conclusion that Oftebro left the course twice."

However, according to FIS, that was not enough for a sanction. Hüttel later spoke with Ivar Stuan, the head of Norway's combiners, about it: "I explained it to him, and we're good with each other."

Heated battles on the trails on Thursday?

On Thursday, Riiber and Oftebro will meet Geiger and Schmid again in the individual event, and on Saturday, the two top nations will compete for team gold. It could lead to heated duels now more than ever.

With the support of Sport-Informations-Dienst (SID)