Beijing Olympics: 5 Female Ski Jumpers Disqualified Over Uniform

On Monday, at the mixed team ski jumping event at the Beijing Winter Olympics, five female competitors were disqualified.

[{"selector":"#anim-8fa0fd4d-7bfd-479a-917d-06a2908c9b0c","keyframes":[{"transform":"scale(1)","offset":0},{"transform":"scale(1.01)","offset":0.33},{"transform":"scale(0.999)","offset":0.66},{"transform":"scale(1)","offset":1}],"delay":0,"duration":3000,"easing":"ease-in-out","fill":"both","iterations":1}]

The five athletes were Norway's Silje Opseth and Anna Odine Stroem, Japan's Sara Takanashi, Austria's Daniela Iraschko-Stolz, and Germany's Katharina Althaus.

[{"selector":"#anim-513e7ae5-005a-4907-aa2b-b5e587524e8e","keyframes":[{"transform":"scale(1)","offset":0},{"transform":"scale(1.01)","offset":0.33},{"transform":"scale(0.999)","offset":0.66},{"transform":"scale(1)","offset":1}],"delay":0,"duration":3000,"easing":"ease-in-out","fill":"both","iterations":1}]

The official reason given by International Ski Federation (FIS) was that their uniforms were "loose".

[{"selector":"#anim-457b93d1-bca8-4848-b938-e27e343f2abb","keyframes":[{"transform":"scale(1)","offset":0},{"transform":"scale(1.01)","offset":0.33},{"transform":"scale(0.999)","offset":0.66},{"transform":"scale(1)","offset":1}],"delay":0,"duration":3000,"easing":"ease-in-out","fill":"both","iterations":1}]

FIS claimed this would have given the disqualified athletes an unfair advantage over the others, lending them better aerodynamics during jumps.

[{"selector":"#anim-b5d3693e-d2c1-4491-9c5f-22a20db16f5e","keyframes":[{"transform":"scale(1)","offset":0},{"transform":"scale(1.01)","offset":0.33},{"transform":"scale(0.999)","offset":0.66},{"transform":"scale(1)","offset":1}],"delay":0,"duration":3000,"easing":"ease-in-out","fill":"both","iterations":1}]

German Olympian Katharina Althaus was the first dissenting voice, saying “I think they have destroyed women’s ski jumping. I don’t know what they’re trying to do."

[{"selector":"#anim-1742ba79-22bc-4b6c-95ca-0fa3d9c92b4e","keyframes":[{"transform":"scale(1)","offset":0},{"transform":"scale(1.01)","offset":0.33},{"transform":"scale(0.999)","offset":0.66},{"transform":"scale(1)","offset":1}],"delay":0,"duration":3000,"easing":"ease-in-out","fill":"both","iterations":1}]

Her coach agreed, saying all such things should have been cleared up before the competition, even as he complied with the orders.

[{"selector":"#anim-47e383ed-7f28-44b4-9f9a-7793b0d083dd","keyframes":[{"transform":"scale(1)","offset":0},{"transform":"scale(1.01)","offset":0.33},{"transform":"scale(0.999)","offset":0.66},{"transform":"scale(1)","offset":1}],"delay":0,"duration":3000,"easing":"ease-in-out","fill":"both","iterations":1}]

Norwegian ski jumping chief of sports Clas Brede Braathen was harsher, claiming, “The sport of ski jumping has experienced one of its darker days today."

[{"selector":"#anim-86539e2c-1517-4165-8234-3e709695b01b","keyframes":[{"transform":"scale(1)","offset":0},{"transform":"scale(1.01)","offset":0.33},{"transform":"scale(0.999)","offset":0.66},{"transform":"scale(1)","offset":1}],"delay":0,"duration":3000,"easing":"ease-in-out","fill":"both","iterations":1}]

Nordic ski jumper Silje Ospeth wrote on her Instagram, "Lost for words. Just really sorry, sad, and empty.”

[{"selector":"#anim-926ef3b3-6178-499d-82e8-b6e9beb4b31f","keyframes":[{"transform":"scale(1)","offset":0},{"transform":"scale(1.01)","offset":0.33},{"transform":"scale(0.999)","offset":0.66},{"transform":"scale(1)","offset":1}],"delay":0,"duration":3000,"easing":"ease-in-out","fill":"both","iterations":1}]

FIS stuck to its guns and said that no official complaint about the disqualification has come from any of the teams.

[{"selector":"#anim-4761c00c-5517-42de-86e3-32e1cf6ff9a3","keyframes":[{"transform":"scale(1)","offset":0},{"transform":"scale(1.01)","offset":0.33},{"transform":"scale(0.999)","offset":0.66},{"transform":"scale(1)","offset":1}],"delay":0,"duration":3000,"easing":"ease-in-out","fill":"both","iterations":1}] Learn more