Several Norwegian ski jumpers and their staffers have been disqualified or suspended because of a cheating scandal uncovered at the 2025 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Trondheim, Norway, last weekend.
Athletes Marius Lindvik and Johann André Forfang competed at the event but were ultimately disqualified when authorities discovered their suits were held together with reinforced seams. Lindvik had finished second in the men’s large hill ski jumping event before being disqualified, Fox Sports reported.
Along with the athletes, coach Magnus Brevik and equipment manager Adrian Livelten were both suspended for the violations.
The Norwegian Ski Federation charged the four with sewing an extra seam into the suits to try and create more lift in the air. The alteration was apparently meant to make the suit tighter and offer less wind drag.
Further, the International Ski and Snowboard Federation said its Ethics and Compliance Office is investigating “to assess the circumstances” of the disqualifications. The competitors were disqualified “following an inspection of their jumping suits, which were not in compliance with the equipment rules.”
“The FIS Independent Ethics and Compliance Office is now investigating a suspicion of illegal manipulation of the equipment by the Norwegian team,” the Norwegian Ski Federation added.
The federation was spurred to inspect the suits after being alerted to a video online that seemed to show the alterations being made to the garments.
“The support system has explained that, on Friday, they chose to put a reinforced thread in the jumpsuit of Forfang and Lindvik,” said Jan-Erik Aalbu, the general manager of the Norwegian Ski Federation, according to CNN. “This was done knowing that this is not within the regulations, but with a belief that it would not be discovered by FIS’ equipment controller. ”
“The way I consider this, we have cheated. We have tried to cheat the system. That is unacceptable,” Aalbu added.
Brevik reportedly told the media that he knew of the alterations and said, “I should have stopped it.”
On the other hand, both Lindvik, 26, and Forfang, 29, have claimed that they were unaware of the alterations to their suits.
“It is important for me to emphasize that I was never aware that my suit had been manipulated. I have always had great trust in the staff, who have worked tirelessly to develop competitive equipment. But this time, a clear line was crossed,” Forfang said in a social media post.
“At the same time, I am relieved to ensure you that Saturday was the first time I jumped with this suit. As athletes, we are responsible for ensuring that our suits fit properly. However, I have not had routines in place to check the finer details of the work being done – such as seams. This is a heartbreaking situation not just for me, but everyone who loves our sport.”
Lindvik, an Olympic gold medalist, added that he is “broken and sad” over the incident and that the disqualification is a “nightmare.” He also insisted, “I did not know that my suit was being manipulated, and I would never have (ve) used it if I knew. It’s hard for me to put words to what I feel right now.”
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