Ski jumping cheating scandal: Norwegian Olympians Marius Lindvik, Johann Andre Forfang under formal suspicion

Norway team officials were found to have illegally modified their ski suits to provide an aerodynamic advantage

Olympic gold medalist skiers Marius Lindvik and Johann Andre Forfang have been suspended and placed under formal suspicion by the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) after being implicated in a cheating scandal at last weekend's Nordic world championships. Lindvik and Forfang's ski suits had been illegally modified with an extra seam sewn in order to create more lift in the air during the ski jumping event.

Lindvik and Forfang, who have denied involvement in the scandal, had been disqualified from competing in a large hill event held Saturday in Trondheim and will be barred from competing in a World Cup event held in Oslo set to begin this Thursday. In footage filmed by a whistleblower, the suits belonging to Lindvik and Forfang were seen adding extra material in the crotch area, adding weight and helping to lower the material between the legs. This made the suits stiffer and created more surface area, providing an aerodynamic advantage in midair.

Coach Magnus Brevik and equipment manager Adrian Livelten were both suspended for the infraction, which has come as a particular shock to Norway sports and their national reputation for fair play and strong ethical principles. According to the Associated Press, Brevik confessed that several team members had been involved in the decision to alter the suits, saying he should have stopped it.

"We regret it like dogs, and I'm terribly sorry that this happened," Brevik said. "I don't really have anything else to say other than that we got carried away in our bubble."

Lindvik won an Olympic gold medal for the men's individual long hill at Beijing in 2022, while Forfang earned gold in the team long hill at Pyeongchang in 2018.