Controversy at ÖSV Triumph — “Shameful”: Heavy Criticism After Final Event

Under highly controversial conditions the Super-Team competition at the Olympic Games in Predazzo came to an end. Wind and heavy snowfall turned the athletes' final jump into a lottery. Competitors also had to wait for several minutes on the take-off bar without umbrellas or blankets.

After the Swiss team's final jump the jury for the first time decided to interrupt the contest. For Domen Prevc the wind bar was moved to Luke 12, and then the German starter Philipp Raimund was again told to “please wait”.

Polish youngster Kacper Tomasiak was hit particularly hard: the 19‑year‑old stood shivering for about ten minutes in heavy snowfall without a jacket. His subsequent jump lacked speed and he left the finish area visibly furious. ORF commentator Michael Roscher called the situation “shameful for an Olympic event”, echoing Tomasiak’s anger.

A few minutes later the organizers confirmed the event would be abandoned; Jan Hörl and Stephan Embacher — who were leading after the second round — were declared Olympic champions. Their celebrations were briefly delayed: Embacher descended by lift rather than on skis. In Tomasiak’s case there was a bittersweet ending: because his last jump did not count, he and partner Paweł Wąsek were ultimately able to celebrate winning the silver medal.