The proposal is about adjusting the so-called BMI rules in jumping. The BMI, or body mass index, is the ratio of weight to height. This measurement affects the length of the jumpers’ skis: The less you weigh in relation to your height (low BMI), the shorter skis you are allowed to use (see examples in the fact box). Many still advocate that the skis are not shortened enough to compensate for the low weight. – In my opinion, they must raise the BMI level. And if you are below the BMI, you must reduce your skiing time more. Then this can work. Then jumpers will not be as much at the border, says Thomas Thurnbichler to news. He is supported by Slovenia’s coach, Robert Hrgota, who points out that the rules have not changed for a long time. – We know that health problems have a big impact on life, so I think it’s a good idea. We should introduce it, says Hrgota to news. Ready to speak Thomas Thurnbichler is Poland’s jumping coach, and has himself struggled with weight challenges as an active ski jumper. LAUNCHING NEW PROPOSAL: Thomas Thurnbichler. Photo: Andreas Hagen / news He does not think that today’s show jumping has a problem, but is positive about changing the regulations to ensure a healthier sport. – When we think about long seasons and many competitions in general, it is easier to keep it constantly on a good physical side if you have a little more weight. That’s all I can say. There are many who manage it perfectly without starving, but my opinion is that a little more weight would have been good for ski jumping, he says. By cutting a longer length of skis if one is below the BMI limit, he believes it will ensure that the athletes stay within the limit. – If you are, for example, one kilogram lighter than the BMI limit, then it should not only be two to three centimeters shorter skis, but ten centimeters. Then they will be bigger, he says further. This is how the ski age is calculated Photo: news Before the competition, the jumper is weighed to calculate BMI (the ratio between body and height). The BMI itself determines how long skis you are allowed to jump with. The BMI limit is 21. If you have a BMI that is below that number, you get shorter skis. The ski is cut by one centimeter per 0.4 kg over 170 centimeters. If you are shorter than 163 centimetres, the ski length is cut by one centimeter per 0.3 kg. For example, a 180 cm athlete with a BMI of 21 will have 261 cm long skis. An athlete of the same height, but with a BMI of 20.5, must have four centimeters shorter skis. The weight difference between these two athletes will be 1.6 kilos. Reacting Ski jumper Daniel-André Tande has little to spare for the new proposal. – I work every day to keep myself heavy enough. So for me it would be a punishment for me struggling to gain weight, while for others it would be an advantage for those struggling to lose weight, says Tande to news. DISSATISFIED: Daniel-André Tande believes such a rule change will punish athletes like him. Photo: Geir Olsen / NTB He believes BMI measurement is an outdated tool to use. – It is difficult to create a formula that fits everyone, but I believe that BMI is a completely wrong calculation to use. It doesn’t point to anything. If you took the pinch test on me, as someone did before, you would get a low score, he says and continues: – But via a DXA scan (measurement of bone density and body composition), I know that I have a fat percentage that is within what is considered normal. BMI shows something completely different. I don’t think it works well enough with a pure BMI. Seeing both sides Alexander Stöckl, who is Norway’s jumping coach, understands Tande’s point. – We never find something that is one hundred percent fair, because then one has to start asking whether BMI as a measurement method is fair? There are different opinions. But we try to do something that is expedient for the sport, that there are still long jumps, while at the same time we want the athletes to be in good health, he says. According to Stöckl, trainers have discussed the BMI requirement internationally, and he himself agrees that it may be wise to change the degree of how many centimeters of skis you lose if you are below a certain BMI. Nevertheless, he believes that this type of rule change should mainly apply to young people. IMPORTANT FOR YOUNG PEOPLE: Show jumping coach Alexander Stöckl believes that such a rule change will prevent young people from pushing themselves to lose weight. Photo: Geir Olsen / NTB He points out that athletes at the highest level are followed up closely by nutritionists, and have various tests that are carried out several times a season. In addition, the Norwegian show jumping camp has introduced health certificates, as an additional step in ensuring that the athletes are healthy and fit. – It probably makes it easier, for example, for youth coaches to have a limit that is a little more brutal. Which ensures that body weight is not misused for performance, he says. Competitive advantage Ski jumper Halvor Egner Granerud believes that athletes should not be involved in the discussion about what rules should be introduced. Unlike Tande, such a change will give him a competitive advantage, as he says he is close to the maximum BMI. HELP: Granerud believes that this type of rule change will be an advantage for him. Photo: Florian Schroetter / AP – It is difficult to discuss it from an athlete’s perspective considering that everyone has different interests and is at different places in terms of weight. Some have a naturally high level of combustion and are very light, and then there are others who are at the opposite end of the scale and have to work quite a bit extra to be competitive, says Granerud to news. He continues: – Or there are people who have chosen ski age and feel comfortable at that weight, which I feel I am. Therefore, it will be a difficult discussion, and then it will be up to doctors to judge. I have the impression that things are quite healthy, actually, says Granerud. Will be decided in the spring Sandro Pertile, who is director of racing at FIS, informs that the same proposal is up for discussion at FIS, and at a meeting in April they will assess where the road goes next. When asked why FIS is having this discussion now, Pertile answers this: – It 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, says Pertile to news. – How can this be carried out without major challenges? – We have the summer season as a test phase. All adjustments can be decided in the spring and tested throughout the summer, and based on the feedback from the summer, we can implement it for the winter season. Fortunately, we have this opportunity to test things and adjust before the season, says Pertile.
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