Austrians want to strip Norwegians of all medals after scandal

Austrians want to strip Norwegians of all medals after scandal - Przegląd Sportowy Onet

The Austrian Ski Association (ÖSV) has responded with outrage and determination to the scandal surrounding the manipulation of suits by Norwegian ski jumpers, demanding strict consequences for those responsible. Norwegians will soon learn what to expect following a decision from FIS, which is set to be released on Tuesday.

This scandal shook the ski jumping community to its core. Protests were lodged with FIS against the cheating Norwegians by representatives from Poland, Slovenia, and Austria. ÖSV managing director Christian Scherer expressed irritation at the Norwegian federation's attitude, accusing them of a lack of transparency and arrogance. According to him, the response from Jan-Erik Aalbu, the Norwegian Ski Association's sports director, was inadequate and incredible. Aalbu admitted during a press conference that they had been involved in large-scale cheating. "We deceived the system," he stated.

Scherer called for the immediate suspension of anyone responsible for violating rules until the investigation concludes. He emphasized that having Norwegian trainers and officials continue their work during the World Cup in Oslo is unacceptable. "This arrogance should be punished. If someone cannot manage their discipline, they should resign. The Norwegian Ski Association should suspend all responsible individuals from the team while the internal investigation is ongoing, in the interest of all involved, especially the athletes," he added.

On Monday, the Norwegian federation found those guilty of the scandal at the world championships. Coaches Magnus Brevig and Adrian Livelten have been suspended from their duties. There is already news on who will temporary lead the team, which brings a completely unexpected twist. – Nobody talked to me – claims the individual concerned. "Chaotic" is an understatement in Norway.

Scherer also advocates for the establishment of an independent committee to conduct the investigation. According to him, Aalbu should not influence the internal investigation process, as his attitude raises doubts about the credibility of the process. The Austrians are also outraged that the Norwegian representatives, including chief coach Magnus Brevig, did not participate in the official statement, which was perceived as a lack of respect towards their rivals.

Austrians want all results of the Norwegian team annulled

After secret recordings surfaced showing late-night suit manipulations in the presence of Brevig, ÖSV acted quickly by lodging a protest with the International Ski Federation (FIS). This protest was also supported by the federations from Slovenia and Poland. According to ÖSV's sports director, Mario Stecher, the scandal cannot be limited to just one competition, as it may have broader implications, thus requiring a review of all championship competitions. Therefore, the Austrians demand the cancellation of all results of Norwegian ski jumpers and a review of their performances in the Nordic combined events.

ÖSV President, Roswitha Stadlober, expressed her outrage and stated that the cheating was too serious to limit the consequences to just the detected cases. "It seems highly unlikely that this happened only that one day. No one should be generally suspected, but it’s a reasonable assumption. Now FIS must work on this," she said on ORF.

FIS has announced that the ethics and compliance department will address the matter, which may take months. The general secretary of the organization, Michel Vion, indicated that all suits could be rechecked with the help of special chips. If it turns out that the cheating was of a larger scale, further disqualifications and changes in the medal standings may follow.

Despite the tension surrounding the scandal, the organizers of the World Championships in Trondheim sought to minimize its impact on the overall event. The head of the organizing committee, Age Skinstad, noted that the championships were a successful celebration of sport and he does not want the scandal to dominate their assessment. However, for the Austrians, the matter is clear—cheating cannot be trivialized.

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