ZHANGJIAKOU, China (Reuters) – Reaction to Monday’s Olympic mixed team ski jumping event which was won by Slovenia after Germany, Austria, Japan and Norway all suffered disqualifications.
Germany national team coach Stefan Horngacher
“For me it is a puppet theatre. The entire season the suits have been an issue. I am unbelievably angry and I don’t understand it. We had super jumps, all were super, you can only be disappointed with this.”
Norwegian ski jumper Silje Opseth, who was disqualified
“I’m lost for words. I’m shocked and I don’t understand, it’s a circus.”
Norwegian ski jumper Robert Johansson
“I don’t know what to say about it. It feels very chaotic from start to finish … one of the Japanese girls was crying, she was completely crushed. When I got up there I heard there was three who were disqualified, Japan, Austria and Germany.”
Norwegian ski jumping chief of sports Clas Brede Braathen
“I am sorry on behalf of ski jumping. This is something we should have cleaned up in before the Olympics. The sport of ski jumping has experienced one of its darker days today.”
“I’m lost for words, really. This is very painful for the athletes. I’m in pain on behalf of our sport. We were going to introduce a new event. The girls were to get a new event in the Olympics, and that’s how it ends. And why are only girls being disqualified?”
Slovenian gold medal winner Ursa Bogotaj
“I didn’t expect this. I was just dreaming about a medal. When I came here, I didn’t think this was imaginable. I am happy.”
Slovenian gold medal winner Petr Previc
“I’m just relived that it finally happened. It was a tough competition, I had to stay focused … I don’t have much information (about the disqualifications), I didn’t get time to ask what was happening.”
Canadian bronze medal winner Matthew Soukup
“We were quite surprised actually, this has been an idea, that if we all made really good jumps something could happen, but this was the best of the dreams.”
Canadian bronze medal winner Alexandria Loutitt
“(The responsibility) is theirs and their teams. The athletes don’t make the suits, there’s a whole team that goes into it, one person isn’t completely reliable.”
“It (the bronze medal) gives us a chance to save our sport … this gives us the potential to encourage kids to try it and encourage kids to fall in love with the sport.”
(Reporting by Philip O’Connor, editing by Ed Osmond)
