On the shoes banned by the FIS Polish jumpers we have written everything in recent dayswhat’s possible. The case is complicated and has many episodes. What we know for sure today is the fact that both the Polish company Nagaba and the German Rass have launched improved ski jumping boots on the market.
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Horngacher started a real war right before the Olympic Games. “Perfect close-ups”
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So what is the problem on the Olympians’ start day? The FIS does not agree to Polish improvements, claiming that it is too big a change that had to be approved by May 1, 2021. In turn, German improvements (such as a new fastening system or replacement soles) are – according to the authorities – just a small thing that could be included in the so-called directory of small modifications. And when Adam Ma³ysz asked to include our modifications in this directory, heard that he doesn’t exist yet and will be published after the games. So much for justice in ski jumping.
Poland intervenes with Pertile’s superiors
Let’s put it in order: last Friday, the Poles pulled out their boots on the hill, which had been prepared for several months. In Willingen they jumped sensational, which irritated Stefan Horngacher. The former coach of the Polish team, and today the coach of the German team, protested our equipment. The FIS agreed with the Austrian’s protest, although a few dozen minutes earlier Piotr Żyła passed the control on the hill without any problems.
Later the situation changed and the hardware controller, under pressure from Horngacher, was inclined to disqualify all Poles. Including Dawid Kubackiwho jumps in German Rass boots. No arguments reach the FIS. Poles also have a big problem to intervene with their superiors, Sandro Pertie (director of the World Cup) or Mika Jukkara (equipment controller at the World Cup). – Nobody answers there. We wrote, called and no response. It’s as if they all fly to China and that’s it. Maybe they will write back to us, but I doubt it – says Sport.pl Adam Malysz, director of Polish ski jumping.
Poland is still fighting
Polish staff members do not give up in the fight for new shoes. At the front are Adam Małysz, Jan Winkiel (secretary general of PZN) and representatives of Nagaba who prepare documentation and explain substantive issues in Poland.
The company Slatnar, which is also playing, is playing its game skis Horngacher protested. Slovenes are even getting ready to file a lawsuit. – A protest may, however, be submitted by the coaches who are present in China – notes Adam Małysz. And our trainers make – unfortunately – an impression reconciled with the fact that the shoes could not be brought back. The men’s team in China is also helped by Łukasz Kruczek, a women’s team coach, who was asked by PZN to intervene. This is because he is a member of the FIS Hardware Committee.
– I have spoken to Sandro Pertile several times, who says that they will not allow our shoes because they think they are new shoes. They do not accept the news that it is otherwise. And they do not acknowledge that this modification is no bigger than the shoe sole change made by the Norwegians in Rassach, or the Rass modification made for individual players. But these are not new shoes, because only the back itself is different – adds Adam Małysz.
It turns out that the equipment manufacturer, Nagaba, showed a new shoe model with the meaningful name Ferrari on its website.
shoes of Polish jumpers Nagaba.pl
The new shoe model of Polish jumpers has a differently finished top. At the back, there is a greater curvature of the footwear, which can, for example, improve the handling of the skis in the first phase of the flight. The most important thing, however, is that the regulations do not say that they are illegal shoes.
The regulations only say that:
- the shoe must not be more than two centimeters longer than the foot
- the outer side of the shoe must be of the same thickness as the inner one.
- the sole may be a maximum of 45 mm
- you cannot transform the shoes for better aerodynamics
According to the information provided by Sport.plThe FIS sticks the most to the last point where a lot depends on interpretation. We hear that the idea behind this provision was only that the shoe should not be wider, so as not to create more foot surface. The Poles’ shoe, on the other hand, is only slightly more curved, which does not affect the bearing surface.
The Poles were even supposed to introduce results wind tunnel tests to clearly show that the shoe does not affect the aerodynamics. However, FIS says it knows better, and has experienced, educated and unbiased controllers itself who believe the shoe changes aerodynamics.
Polish jumpers, however, have their own opinion about them. They had seen how one of the controllers in Willingen was unable to operate the stride measuring device in the athlete’s suit.
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