October 28, 2025
It’s late October and the Nordic world is packing its wax kits and moral compasses. First up, the heavy snowcloud: France’s reigning markswoman Julia Simon has more on her plate than zeroing her rifle. After her courtroom confession, she now faces an FFS disciplinary hearing that could bring anything from a warning to a ban, just as the season opens in Östersund. The whole saga began with a credit-card caper involving teammates, ended in a suspended sentence and a fine, and left the biathlon community wondering if “range protocol” should include locking one’s wallet. For the full case file, there’s also the detailed verdict report here and the courtroom confession here.
Meanwhile, the sport keeps arguing over who gets to show up. On the heels of a tense vote, Sweden’s Linn Svahn admitted she was relieved not to face an Olympic boycott after FIS members rejected admitting Russia and Belarus for now. President Johan Eliasch called it “not an easy decision”, which in ski terms is like calling Holmenkollen “a little bumpy.” And just to spice the mix, Adam Małysz revealed a survey showing 60% in favor of reinstatement under neutral flags—a number big enough to guarantee this debate pops back up like a ski pole in spring.
Over on the jumps, the weather did what the weather does—threw a tantrum—while the rulebook changed its outfit. After scary crashes in Predazzo, FIS loosened women’s suit rules a smidge to make flights safer, even as Klingenthal’s gusts canceled a trial round and tried to redecorate the landing hill in white mid-October. The show went on, with Japan’s flyers turning the finale into a postcard: Ryoyu Kobayashi won the men’s day while Nozomi Maruyama sealed the women’s overall—see the wrap here—and Germany’s Philipp Raimund became the Summer Grand Prix overall champion. Japan then pocketed the mixed team win on Sunday, because of course they did (wind and all).
There was also a changing-of-seasons feel. Poland applauded teenager Kacper Tomasiak, who leapt into the spotlight with an 8th place and a pile of promise (Małysz-approved), while the legend Kamil Stoch took a sentimental last jump on plastic at the LGP before winter beckons. And in a bright note for Poland’s women, Anna Twardosz finished 8th overall in the Summer GP—a tidy breakthrough.
And finally, a tip of the hat to a pioneer we lost: Norway mourns Odd “Relay-Martin” Martinsen, the opening-leg rocket who stacked Olympic and World gold for the relay and inspired generations to ski a little faster and smile a little broader on cold mornings.
So the wax rooms hum, the winds grumble, the rules loosen a stitch, and the start gates creak open. Somewhere a teenager is about to fly farther than he’s ever flown, and somewhere else a veteran quietly packs away his summer suit. Winter is tapping on the door like a coach with a stopwatch—three, two, one…