The inaugural ski jumping mixed team competition at the Beijing Winter Olympic Games has been marred by a spate of unusual disqualifications after five female competitors were eliminated due to their attire.
Germany’s Katharina Althaus, Japan’s Sara Takanashi, Austria’s Daniela Iraschko-Stolz and Norway’s Anna Odine Strom and Silje Opseth were disqualified for being “not complaint with the rules” regarding their suits.
Team Germany were eliminated from the competition after Katharina Althaus was disqualified in the first round.
Althaus accused the International Ski Federation (FIS) of “destroying women’s ski jumping”.
“We were so happy to have a second event (for women) here at the Olympics,” Althaus told German sports agency SID.
“The FIS destroyed everything with this operation. I think they have destroyed women’s ski jumping. I don’t know what they’re trying to do.”
“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 added.
The 25-year old ski champion took to Instagram to express her dismay.
“160 World Cup starts, 5x World Championships, 3x Olympic Games and I got DSQ for the first time. My heart is broken.”
“Athletes and their dreams were destroyed. I’m sorry but in 11 years I’ve NEVER been disqualified!!!”
“I am so disappointed and angry. We really gave everything to be here and all showed our best jumps. I’m devastated and can’t understand it.”
Norway’s Anna Odine Strom accused officials of changing the method used to measure suits, which are adjusted for weight dropped between each event.
“It was a bit strange and didn’t conform to how it’s been done in the past,” Strom said.
“It is a bit the result of me being in quarantine and not eating properly the whole week.”
One member of the Canadian team, who placed third, told reporters that “equipment is very important in sports and disqualifications happen.”
“In Ski Jumping it happens often and the fact that it now happened at Olympic Games shows that the rules are strictly enforced because it’s sports at the highest level,” Abigail Strate said.
Another member of her team, Alexandria Loutitt remarked that the rules were “more important” at the Olympics.
However, Germany’s Karl Geiger, a male competitor, said the disqualifications were “super weird.”
Later, Geiger wrote on social media: “We stick together no matter what! Nevertheless, I have to ask myself whether the regulations for the women were changed overnight, with so many disqualifications?!? It was neither the right time nor the right place to disqualify so many athletes from different nations.”
Team Germany’s men’s coach Stefan Horngacher said “the disappointment is of course huge but the rules have to be accepted”.
“It is just strange that they have been using the same suits yesterday and there was no problem,” he said.
“It is annoying that this happens at the Winter Olympic Games. This should all be cleared before…[it is ] not good for the sport”.
Japanese skier, Sara Takanashi was disqualified and became visibility upset after landing her second jump.
“I’ve seen a lot of Olympics but this was the first time I’ve seen anything like this,” her teammate Yukiya Sato said.
“I was surprised, but jumpers prepare knowing the rules and it’s a competition so it’s not so strange to see this happen.”
Slovenia won the event, finishing with 1,001.5 points, ahead of Russia with 890.3 and Canada with 844.6.
Slovenia’s first ski jumping Olympic gold was won by 26-year old Ursa Bogataj on Saturday when she won the women’s individual title.
Bronze-medallist Nika Kriznar, also from Slovenia, told reporters the spate of disqualifications was not far from her mind as she competed.
“For the first jump, I just focused and did a really good jump,” she said. “But the second jump, I’m a little bit nervous about all of these disqualifications.”
Image: Tom Weller/VOIGT/DeFodi Images via Getty Images