Storm After Kamil Stoch's Exclusion: 'He's Out of It' and 'He Has Been Punished'

Kamil Stoch will not participate in the World Championships in Trondheim, as coach Thomas Thurnbichler has made the difficult decision to exclude him from the national team. The announcement, made on social media soon after the Polish team was finalized for the event, has triggered a storm of comments from journalists and experts.

Following the World Cup events in Sapporo, Thurnbichler had to select the squad for the most important event of the season. The final team includes Paweł Wąsek, Piotr Żyła, Dawid Kubacki, Aleksander Zniszczoł, and Jakub Wolny – notably, Kamil Stoch, a legend who has competed continuously at the World Championships since his debut in 2005, is absent for the first time in over 20 years.

Commentators have described the decision as unprecedented and portentous. Some claim that Stoch was punished due to his off-field decisions or even as a consequence of falling behind in the current World Cup standings, despite showing some signs of improvement in Sapporo. Coach Thurnbichler explained that the selection was purely based on the current season’s results and rankings, leaving no room for exceptions.

The World Championships in ski jumping are scheduled to take place in Trondheim from March 1 to March 8, 2025. With Stoch’s exclusion, a key pillar of the Polish team is missing, a fact that has intensified scrutiny and debate over the decision.