“Unclear rules”: Norwegian ski jumping coaches fight FIS sanctions in letter

Former Norway men’s ski jumping head coach Magnus Brevig has authored a legal letter, together with staff members Thomas Lobben and Adrian Livelten, to contest potential sanctions from the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) Ethics Committee.

According to reporting cited from Norwegian outlet VG, the coaches argue that the ongoing ski‑suit scandal stems from a culture within ski jumping in recent years in which optimizing suits in the gray areas—sometimes beyond—was necessary to remain competitive. They claim FIS tacitly tolerated this by maintaining unclear rules, lax supervision, and a generally unsystematic and unreliable control regime. Earlier, similar violations, they say, were either tolerated or only lightly punished.

Brevig, Lobben, and Livelten therefore consider the looming penalties unjustified. Media reports indicate they could face fines of roughly €4,300 and suspensions of up to 18 months.

The trio also argues that, as employees of the Norwegian Ski Federation, they are not under the employment authority of the international federation and that FIS should not be issuing professional bans or financial penalties against coaches. It remains to be seen what impact their letter will have on the case.