WASHINGTON — The right suit can help send a ski jumper soaring to gold. The wrong suit will get you grounded.

Six months before the Winter Olympics, ski jumping is mired in controversy after the recent season opener witnessed several athletes being disqualified for wearing improperly fitting suits. The governing body has deemed this situation as “perfectly normal.”

Back in March, the ski jumping community was shaken when the Norwegian team was found to have used illegally altered suits at the world championships. The International Ski Federation launched investigations into both officials and athletes regarding modifications that could benefit jumpers by providing increased lift with a larger suit surface area.

During Saturday’s kickoff for the 2025-26 season — held at a summer Grand Prix event on an artificial surface in France — six male ski jumpers were disqualified due to issues like incorrect waist size, while three more were “not permitted to start.” Additionally, another Japanese jumper was prevented from competing as the event proceeded on Sunday.

The federation communicated to The Associated Press via an email statement indicating that these disqualifications are seen as an expected outcome from stricter rule enforcement in the wake of the Norwegian suit incident.

According to FIS race director Sandro Pertile, there is no indication of intentional cheating and he anticipates fewer disqualifications as teams familiarize themselves with the revised rules. Crafting specialized ski jumping gear is “a fairly complicated matter,” he explained.

Pertile further commented, “It’s perfectly normal for teams to require time to adjust to the new situation following such extensive changes to the equipment regulations. Some adapt immediately, while others face initial challenges,” he told the AP.

“It’s also important to highlight that these disqualifications are clearly a result of technical inadequacies — there’s no sign whatsoever of ill intent from the teams.”

FIS indicated that a further nine men and five women didn’t compete following a “technical approval” process, though it wasn’t clear if all of those cases involved their suits. Five of those 14 were on the United States team, which didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Among those disqualified Saturday was Norway’s Kristoffer Eriksen Sundal, who had previously been provisionally suspended earlier this year following the world championships.

FIS signaled it will remain rigorous in its checks through the Olympic season but expects to find athletes wearing increasingly snug — and therefore legal — suits.

“The teams know that they have our full support, and we expect the number of disqualifications to decrease significantly in the coming weeks,” Pertile said.

“With that said, we will remain strict and precise with equipment check the whole season long; there is no room for exceptions.”

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