The 2022 Beijing Olympics represents the first time a city has hosted both the Summer and Winter Games, but that’s not the only reason this Olympics is monumental. Aside from geopolitical tension and a diplomatic boycott, the games themselves have accumulated numerous controversies since their start on Feb. 4. Five female ski jumpers have been disqualified from the ski jumping mixed team event, due to their suits being deemed as ill-fitting and unfair to compete with.
The International Ski Federation (FIS) disqualified Sara Takanashi, Daniela Iraschko-Stolz, Katharina Althaus, Anna Odine Stroem and Silje Opseth, all of whom have competed with the same suit for years and were extremely shocked by the FIS’s actions.
The ladies representing Austria, Japan, Norway (twice) and Germany were told that their suits were too loose and that they would not be allowed to compete. The suits would give athletes an unfair aerodynamic advantage if they were not tight enough, according to news.com.au.
One of the women disqualified, German skier Katharina Althaus, was in tears as she spoke on the matter. She took to Instagram, writing that she has “no words” about the situation. She writes, “I’m devastated and I can’t comprehend it.” Her team was eliminated in the first round.
The presence of women in Olympic ski jumping is relatively new, with their first games in 2014. However, this is the first year there is a mixed team relay event, meaning each team has two women and two men. Althaus was even more disappointed, considering this was a “premiere for the whole sport,” per her Instagram. It leaves her and the rest of the women to wonder what the future will be for the sport. She claims that she has been checked for 11 years and not once has there been an issue, so for these disqualifications to happen at an event like the Olympics is even more upsetting. To many, it seems like the rules were changed overnight, even though the FIS claims to have been clear about them prior to the Olympics.
According to USA TODAY, “‘The International Ski Federation said that the competitors’ suits ‘were produced exclusively for the Olympic Games’ and not ‘previously tested’” before the competition. They claim to have offered to test the suits to avoid any disqualifications. FIS Official Aga Baczkowsa spoke to the Norwegian public broadcaster, saying that it is the team’s responsibility to follow the rules. The athletes and the FIS stand in opposition on how the protocol should have taken place.
For athletes like Althaus, it is hard to feel optimistic about the future of the sport, considering the only ones disqualified were women. She told reporters that “this is how you destroy nations, development and the entire sport.” For Olympic hopefuls, the suit chaos makes their dreams seem that much harder, and pioneers like Althaus remain in utter disappointment.
The event ended with Slovenia earning the Gold with 1,001.5 points, and Russia and Canada following with Silver and Bronze, 890.3 and 844.6 points respectively.
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