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The jumpers, from Germany, Austria, Norway, and Japan, were all taken out of competition after officials from the International Ski Federation (FIS) said their uniforms' looseness would give them an unfair advantage in jumping,Yahoo Sportsreports.
Norway’s Silje Opseth and Anna Odine Stroem, Japan’s Sara Takanashi, Austria’s Daniela Iraschko-Stolz and Germany’s Katharina Althaus were the athletes who were disqualified.
The disqualifications resulted in disappointed athletes, angered coaches and frustrated fans.
“We were looking forward to the second competition at the Olympics. FIS destroyed that with this action — they destroyed women’s ski jumping,” Althaus said, perReuters.
Althaus had previously won a silver medal at the women’s normal hill individual event in ski jumping.
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“I have been checked so many times in 11 years of ski jumping, and I have never been disqualified once. I know my suit was compliant,” she also said, according toGerman sports agency SID.
“This is a parody, but I am not laughing … It is outrageous that this happens with the four biggest ski-jump nations,” echoed Horst Huttel, Germany’s head of Nordic events, Reuters reported.
“I think they checked it in a new way today compared to what they had done previously, I think it’s very strange that they would suddenly change how they do it in the middle of a tournament,” Opseth said, perFox News. “I don’t know what to say. I’m really just shaken. I’m sorry that I was disqualified today.”
source: people.com
