Three senior Norwegian ski jumping officials have been suspended from the sport for 18 months, a major ruling delivered just weeks before the start of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.
The Verdict and the Charges
The International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) announced the verdicts on Thursday, 15 January 2026. The bans were handed to head coach Magnus Brevik, assistant coach Thomas Lobben, and staff member Adrian Livelten.
An independent judicial panel, led by renowned sports law expert Michael Beloff, fully endorsed the sanctions requested by the FIS. The panel stated clearly that "cheating of any kind is inherently antithetical to sport and its values."
The Trondheim World Championships Scandal
The scandal erupted during the Nordic Ski World Championships in Trondheim, Norway, in March 2025. Secretly filmed footage, later published by media, revealed team officials restitching competition suits to illegally increase their surface area.
This manipulation, designed to allow athletes to glide further in the air, bypassed strict pre-approval rules. The alterations were so discreet they could only be confirmed by tearing apart the crotch seams of the suits.
The fallout was immediate. Olympic gold medallists Johann André Forfang and Marius Lindvik were disqualified from the men's large hill event, where they had placed second and fourth respectively. Both athletes later accepted three-month bans in August 2025 and have since returned to World Cup competition.
Consequences and Timing Before the Games
During the initial investigation in Trondheim, Brevik and Livelten admitted their guilt, claiming the cheating was isolated to the large hill event. The 18-month bans have been backdated to the time of the world championships and will expire in September 2026.
This resolution closes a chapter that severely tarnished Norway's reputation as host of the world championships. However, the timing is acutely sensitive, with the Winter Olympics in Italy due to run from 6 to 22 February 2026.
The Norwegian team will now travel to Milan Cortina without three key staff members, a significant disruption on the eve of the global sporting spectacle.
