The proposal is about adjusting the so-called BMI rules in jumping. BMI, or body mass index, is the ratio of body weight to height.

These measurements affect the length of jumpers’ skis: The less you weigh relative to your height (lower BMI), the shorter skis you can use (see example in fact box).

Many still recommend that the skis are not short enough to compensate for the low weight.

– In my opinion, they should raise the BMI level. And if you’re under BMI, you should cut back on your skiing time even more. Then this can work. Then there won’t be as many jumpers at the border, Thomas Thurnbichler told NRK.

He was supported by the Slovenian coach, Robert Hrgota, who emphasized that the rules had not changed for a long time.

– We know that health problems have a big impact on life, so I thought it was a great idea. We have to introduce him, Hrgota told NRK.

Clear in speech

Thomas Thurnbichler is a Polish jumping coach, and himself struggles with tough challenges as an active ski jumper.

He doesn’t think show jumping has a problem today, but is positive about changing the rules to ensure a healthier sport.

– When we think about long seasons and lots of competition in general, it’s easier to keep him in good physical shape if you have a bit more weight. That’s all I can say. There are many who manage it perfectly without starving, but I think a bit more weight would be good for ski jumping, he says.

By cutting the length of the larger skis if one falls below the BMI limit, he believes it will ensure athletes stay within those limits.

– If you are, for example, one kilogram lighter than the BMI limit, then the skis should be not only two to three centimeters shorter, but also ten centimeters shorter. Then they will be bigger, he said further.

Respond

Ski jumper Daniel-André Tande has little to spare for new proposals.

– I work every day to make myself heavy enough. So for me it will be a punishment for me struggling to gain weight, whereas for others it will be a boon for those struggling to lose weight, Tande told NRK.

He believes that measuring BMI is an outdated tool to use.

– It’s hard to come up with a formula that works for everyone, but I think BMI is a completely wrong calculation to use. It doesn’t point to anything. If you do the pinch test on me, as someone did before, you’ll get a low score, he said and continued:

– But through a DXA scan (measurement of bone density and body composition), I know that I have a fat percentage that is considered normal. BMI indicates something completely different. I don’t think it works well enough with pure BMI.

See both sides

Alexander Stöckl, who is a Norwegian jumping coach, understood Tande’s point.

– We’ve never found anything one hundred percent fair, because then one has to start asking if BMI as a measurement method is fair? There are different opinions. But we are trying to do something useful for the sport, namely there is still long jump, while at the same time we want the athletes to be in good health, he said.

According to Stöckl, trainers have discussed BMI requirements internationally, and he himself agrees that it might be wise to change the rate of how many centimeters you lose skis if you fall below a certain BMI. However, he believes that this kind of rule change should apply especially to young people.

He points out that athletes at the highest level are closely monitored by nutritionists, and have various tests done several times a season.

In addition, the Norwegian show jumping camp has introduced health certificates, as an added step to ensure athletes are healthy and fit.

– It might make it easier, for example, for young coaches to have slightly more brutal boundaries. Which ensures that body weight is not misused for performance, he said.

Competitive advantage

Ski jumper Halvor Egner Granerud believes that athletes should not get involved in discussions about what rules should be introduced. Unlike Tande, such a change would give him a competitive advantage, as he thinks he is closer to his maximum BMI.

– It’s hard to discuss it from an athlete’s point of view considering that everyone has different interests and is in a different place in terms of weight. Some have a naturally high burn rate and are very light, and then there are others who are at the other end of the scale and have to work harder to be competitive, Granerud told NRK.

He asserted:

– Or there are people who have chosen the age of skiing and are comfortable with the weight that I feel. Therefore, it will be a tough discussion, and then it will be up to the doctor to judge. I got the impression that everything was pretty healthy, actually, said Granerud.

Will decide in spring

Sandro Pertile, who is race director at FIS, informed that the same proposal will be discussed at FIS, and at a meeting in April they will assess where it goes next.

When asked why FIS is having this discussion now, Pertile replied this:

– This is part of the normal development of the sport. Every year we realize that some adjustments are needed in the regulations, and this is part of that, Pertile told NRK.

– How can this be done without a big challenge?

– We have summer as exam phase. All adjustments can be decided on in the spring and tested throughout the summer, and based on the feedback from the summer, we can implement them for the winter. “Fortunately, we had the chance to test things out and adjust before the season,” said Pertile.