Polish Skater Speaks Out After Chaos at Ruka Tournament

Ski jumping

— Anyone can make a mistake, but not five or ten times. Judges in ski jumping should be held accountable for their work! — exclaims Edward Przybyła in an interview with WP SportoweFakty. The former international referee assessed the recent weekend of the World Cup in Ruka, which has become controversial primarily due to the judges' performance.

Persistent weather and wind problems, the necessity of postponing qualifications from Friday to Saturday, delays and prolonged training sessions, and the controversial work of judges — this succinctly describes the recent weekend in Ruka. Fans and experts were baffled by how "18" was awarded to Marius Lindvik for his jump, who nearly fell. This situation is evaluated strongly by Edward Przybyła.

Former Polish judge criticizes the judges' work in Ruka

— The referee has only a few seconds and doesn’t see replays. Usually, they make a decision in favor of the athlete if they are uncertain. If everyone falls within half a point, that's fine. However, a difference of two points is too much. Anyone can make a mistake, but not five or ten times! — Przybyła passionately states.

— The FIS should take this seriously and retrain the referees. They could spend at least thirty minutes before the competitions to remind everyone of the rules. Another idea is to show some recordings and analyze them. There’s plenty of time for that. Moreover, referees should be held accountable for their work — Przybyła adds.

Additionally, the former referee raised concerns about the judging panel's makeup. Among five referees, two were from Finland. One of them replaced a Norwegian who had a car accident on the way to the event.

— I once had a case where the technical delegate did not allow a referee from Finland, and two Norwegians ended up in the tower. Such situations do happen. From what I hear, six judges are now appointed for three-day events to have one reserve judge — comments Przybyła.

German Andreas Wellinger won the Sunday contest in Ruka. On Saturday, his compatriot Pius Paschke was the best and is currently leading the World Cup standings.

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