Through a surreptitiously filmed video, Norway’s national ski jumping team was caught cheating during the home WC in Trondheim in March this year. In order to give the jumpers more airspace, before the men’s competition in the big hill, a reinforced thread had been sewn into the crotch of the competition suits belonging to Marius Lindvik and Johann Forfang – silver medalist and fifth in the competition respectively.
The head coach, assistant coach and tailor were suspended and remain suspended. Lindvik and Forfang were suspended for the remainder of the season. After a settlement agreement with the International Skiing Federation (FIS), the punishment was a three-month suspension and a fine of 2,000 Swiss francs (about 25,000 kroner).
I thought a lot about whether I should take the job.
The road back to the light, in the concrete sense the limelight – there is hope for medals in the Olympics – as well as in the metaphorical sense – a nation that can be trusted – began immediately.
Rune Velta, former jumper with four medals from the Falun WC 2015, had to pull in hux flux in the middle of the crisis and finish last year’s season and was then hired as the new head coach in June.
– You feel a sense of pride when you get such a question. However, I hesitated and thought quite a lot about whether to take the job. But the heart said yes, he tells DN when we sit down in the restaurant at Scandic Lugnet.
You watched the scandal break from the sidelines. What did you think when the video came out?
– You get a little… or actually quite disappointed.
This year’s season began at home in Lillehammer on November 21. When we meet, we have reached stop two on the calendar. Velta has not felt any bad blood, that any enmity exists, from the other nations. He thinks that it is more about an uncertainty about what to say.
– I think that the nations that filed the protest against Norway in the World Cup (Austria, Poland and Slovenia, editor’s note) are a little unsure of what we think of them, and so I feel that there are a lot of people who feel sympathy for the situation we are in now. That they see that we are having a tough time and that we have a long way to go to get to the top level.
The whole World Cup situation has only been the tip of the iceberg for me.
Johann Forfang describes a nice and warm welcome back, that the many friends in the World Cup circus really supported him. But also that the scandal affected him – both mentally and financially.
The amount of the fine was one thing, but also not being able to compete and thereby missing out on prize money created a big hole in the wallet – during a year when he had to take care of a sick father, became a father himself and built a house.
The feelings towards the former national team leaders have been both anger and disappointment.
– We have moved on so now the focus is no longer there. But it’s been a tough year and a lot of it is because of all those emotions. The whole World Cup situation has only been the tip of the iceberg for me, when so much else was going on at home.
Forfang says he is “delighted” to be back in the World Cup. Teammate Marius Lindvik uses the word “lovely” when he is asked about the feeling of being able to compete again.
– Of course I was very disappointed then and there, but we have to look ahead, says Lindvik.
How do you manage to put a suspension behind you?
– You kind of get into the bubble, you start working on the training technically and then it’s fun to jump, it helps.
It has been trying months, says Rune Velta. Building a new national team organization, with people he trusts, in a short period of time has left them behind other nations.
The World Cup reaches its fifth stop this weekend, in Klingenthal, Germany. So far, both Marius Lindvik and Johann Forfang have been a bit off the podium – they are in 15th and 34th place overall in the World Cup.
– We are working a bit in the race, but we have a good work plan to be able to fight for medals in the Olympics. But we need this time – we do, says Velta.
An important ingredient has been to build team spirit, says the coach. Another to regain trust.
– We are under pressure to show that we deserve the trust. That we are talented and that we compete smoothly.
Sandro Pertile, Fi’s competition director, wants to leave the sport’s cheating chapter – for good.
– The topic is finished. We are happy with how ski jumping was able to start again this season and we look forward to continuing in this direction.
Last year’s World Cup winner Daniel Tschofenig, Austria, agrees.
– Trondheim was then. There has been a lot of speculation, drama and everything. Now we move on.
Read more:
After the World Cup scandal – suspended for three months
After the costume cheating: Norway suspends the national team leaders
