Norwegians confess

“Everyone does it!”: Olympic champion admits cheating

Daniel-André Tande(Bild: APA/GEORG HOCHMUTH)

Following the suit scandal at the World Championships in Trondheim, Norway's Olympic ski jumping champion Daniel-André Tande has admitted to cheating during his career!

"Absolutely everyone does it," the 31-year-old told Norwegian broadcaster NRK about the manipulation of equipment. "Yes, I would dare to say that I have done it a few times." Tande won Olympic gold with the team in Pyeongchang in 2018.

Former ski jumpers Anders Jacobsen and Johan Remen Evensen also admitted to manipulation. "It's a harsh word. Cheating. But I can't say with my hand on my heart that I didn't do it," said Jacobsen. "Because if the definition of cheating is wearing a suit that's a little too big, then I cheated." Jacobsen won the Four Hills Tournament in 2007.

Serious accusations against world federation
It was not just about illegal changes to the suit, as the Norwegians reported. Shoes, gloves and even underwear were also tampered with. Tande reported that the Norwegians had modified their overly tight suit material with a perforation machine in 2019 so that they could pass the air permeability test. According to Tande, various nations had done this and another team had even borrowed the Norwegians' machine.

The trio believe the main blame lies with the FIS World Federation, which encourages jumpers to cheat with its regulations - and does not always enforce them consistently. "The principle in the sport is that if you don't get caught, you haven't cheated," said Evensen. "This is an attitude problem that runs through the entire ski jumping world."

The problem is the FIS, said Tande. He claimed that inspectors would ignore visible manipulations so that the right winner would be chosen. "It's best for the product if a Norwegian wins in Norway or an Austrian in Austria. That's common knowledge," said Tande.

Norway's assistant coach must also go
There had already been other personnel consequences in the current case. After coach Magnus Brevig, a few days after the Nordic World Ski Championships in Trondheim, his assistant Thomas Lobben has now also been suspended with immediate effect, as announced by the Norwegian Ski Association. Another employee involved, Adrian Livelten, had previously also had to leave.

Lobben had admitted to being involved in the decision to manipulate the jump suits, said Secretary General Ola Keul in a statement. The Norwegians promised to "cooperate fully" with the FIS investigations. All requested suits have already been handed over to the FIS.