Norway coaches banned in ski jumping suit scandal verdicts ahead of Winter Olympics

On Thursday, the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) suspended Norwegian head coach Magnus Brevik, assistant coach Thomas Lobben, and staff member Adrian Livelten with 18-month bans, Report informs via Ground News.

At the Trondheim Nordic World Ski Championships, secretly filmed footage showed restitching of team suits to increase size, bypassing FIS pre-approval on preapproved, microchipped suits and confirmed by tearing seams.

Olympic champions Johann Andre Forfang and Marius Lindvik accepted three-month bans last year and were disqualified from the men's large hill, while the independent panel led by Michael Beloff endorsed these sanctions as antithetical to sport.

The bans were backdated to the championships and will expire in September, with Brevik, Lobben and Livelten suspended for the period requested by FIS, tarnishing Norway's hosting of the Trondheim Nordic World Ski Championships.

With the Milan-Cortina Winter Games due to run Feb 6-22, the verdicts arrive weeks before the Olympics, scheduled to open next month in Italy.