Highlights from the Spring Meeting in Portorož

The season finale at Planica not only marks the end of competition for ski jumpers but also the beginning of an important planning phase for the upcoming year. Immediately following the last jump, discussions kick off regarding a review of the winter season and the scheduling of future events.

The recent meetings held in Prague, Czech Republic, and now in Portorož, Slovenia, have significantly influenced the direction of ski jumping. Under the astute guidance of Chairman Mika Kojonkoski from Finland, the committee has approved the calendars for the 2024/2025 season while outlining various adjustments to existing rules and regulations.

Competition Calendars

The previously discussed calendars from the Prague meeting have been confirmed, with two notable changes to the Grand Prix schedule:

• Almaty, Kazakhstan, has withdrawn its bid to host the summer 2024 event due to extensive flood damage that the country will prioritize repairing instead.
• Frenstat, Czech Republic, will not be able to hold the Women's Grand Prix this summer owing to technical issues.

You can check out the calendars for summer 2024 and winter 2024/2025.

Equipment Innovations

Introducing Chips in Jumping Suits

Following the successful implementation of 3D body scanning technology last winter, ski jumping is embarking on another innovative leap with chips embedded in jumping suits. Each suit will feature multiple chips, each identified uniquely, allowing for precise tracking during competitions.

This cutting-edge technology will be trialed during the Grand Prix in summer 2024 and subsequently applied in winter events as well. This advancement is expected to limit the number of suits used by each athlete to: - 2 suits per athlete per event - 1 suit for competitions - 1 suit for qualifications

Sandro Pertile, FIS Ski Jumping Race Director, remarked, "This step is another piece in the direction of having a discipline moving towards a high standard of fair play. We firmly believe in ski jumping's potential to evolve into a more spectacular and emotionally engaging sport, all anchored in fairness. We’re excited about this new opportunity.”

Updated Scoring for Telemark Landings

In an effort to enhance the competition, judges will now award more points for clean telemark landings. Athletes will face a deduction of 3 points (up from the previous 2) for not executing a telemark landing.

Additionally, in rare situations, athletes may perform up to 5 rounds of ski flying in a single day, an increase from the prior limit of 4 for safety reasons. The majority of athletes support this potential extension.

To encourage greater integration, women's and men's competitions will increasingly be held together. While minor adjustments will occur next winter, a unified schedule with coordinated management is the ultimate goal.

Pertile emphasized, "Women’s ski jumping has enormous potential for growth. We believe that leveraging the high visibility of men's ski jumping will significantly raise interest in women's events. It’s a fantastic opportunity for increased engagement."

The farewell ceremony was marked with long applause for two respected officials, Bertil Palsrud from Norway and Horst Tielmann from Germany, who represented the Netherlands in the sub-committees.

Palsrud is retiring after 25 years of dedicated service, including roles as Chairman of the Sub-Committee for Equipment and Development and Technical Delegate for the FIS. His successor will be Andreas Bauer from Germany.

Horst Tielmann has been instrumental in the FIS Expert Committees since 2002, successfully managing the men's Continental Cup for nearly two decades, ensuring its continued growth and development.

An application for FIS Honorary Membership will be submitted to the Executive Board for both Palsrud and Tielmann.

Although all proposed changes still require approval from the FIS Executive Board at the Congress on June 5, this is regarded as a formality.