 (1).png){kind=spacer}
4 weeks ago
57
Officials at the 2026 Winter Olympics are putting an intense focus on the crotches of every ski jumper competing in Italy this month.
A major rule change is going into effect just in time for the games, starting on Friday, which will put tamper-proof microchips in the suits of each athlete and use 3D scanning technology to measure the space between their legs.
The drastic and awkward measures were installed after a crotch-enlarging scandal rocked the ski jumping world last year and led to multiple suspensions among the Norwegian team, a favorite to dominate in medals at every Winter Olympics.
The scandal erupted during the 2025 Ski Jumping World Championships in Norway, where the home team was caught secretly adding extra fabric to the crotch area of suits worn by two top male athletes, Marius Lindvik and Johann André Forfang.
Ski jumping is a sport where athletes speed down a steep ramp on skis, launch into the air, and try to fly as far as possible before landing.
Since the distance skiers travel is crucial to their score, a big part of success comes down to aerodynamics, how air moves around an object (or person) during flight.
Crotch-enlarging created more surface area in the skin-tight suits that catch the air just right. More fabric around a skiers groins means they can glide longer and farther without falling too quickly, potentially adding several more feet to each jump.
Rules only allow suits to be a tiny bit bigger than the jumper's body, about two to four centimeters around, so the enlargements by the Norwegian team were ruled illegal, leading to five suspensions among the coaches, suit technicians, and athletes.
Marius Lindvik (Pictured) was suspended for three months following the 2025 Ski Jumping World Championships in Norway
Johann André Forfang (Pictured) was also suspended after ski jumping officials found Team Norway enlarged the crotch of their ski suits to make them more aerodynamic
Bruno Sassi, a spokesman for the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS), said in January: 'There had never been that kind of a brazen attempt to not only bend the rules, but like downright do something to cheat the system in a way that it is very different from simply having a suit that is a tad too long or a tad too loose.'
Both Lindvik and Forfang were suspended by FIS for three months for their role in the March 2025 scandal.
An October 2025 study in the journal Frontiers in Sports and Active Living revealed that adding just one centimeter (0.4 inches) of fabric to the circumference of a ski jumper's suit could increase their fly by 9.2 feet.
Study co-author Sören Müller from the Institute for Applied Training Science in Germany noted that enlarging any part of a ski suit will generally benefit the athlete aerodynamically, but expanding the crotch area provided the greatest advantage.
In ski jumping, athletes spread their skis in a wide V-shape during flight to catch more air and create lift, just like trying to keep a kite or glider up in the sky longer.
This V-position stretches the suit fabric a lot in the crotch area between the legs. Adding the extra material there created more surface to catch wind in that stretched spot, giving the biggest boost in lift compared to other body areas.
Lindvik and Forfang are now back on the slopes and have been cleared to compete at this month's Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo.
However, FIS has now redesigned the suits for the Olympics, which limit the amount of loose material around the arms and legs.
Ski jumping involved speeding down a massive slope and launching into the air. Top scores go to athletes who land farthest from the ramp
New rules for ski jumpers' suits are going into effect during the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy starting on Friday
These new suits are then checked by race officials, including two FIS controllers and a doctor, using 3D body measurements before a competitor's jump.
Once the athlete passes inspection, their suit is fitted with a radio frequency identification chip that gets scanned so everyone knows that suit has been checked and cleared for use in the Olympics.
If the suit doesn't meet the new standards, it'll be pulled from use and held for further review until the next competition in the ski jumping season.
'Sanctions will be issued for offenses such as violations during 3D measurement, manipulation of chips, and manipulation of the suit after technical approval,' FIS wrote in a statement.
Those penalties include a new yellow and red card policy for equipment violations, similar to the penalty system in soccer. A yellow card is a warning and a red card means disqualification.
