Overview
- Three athletes — Eva Pinkelnig, Alexandria Loutitt and Haruka Kasai — sustained ACL ruptures during the Predazzo Olympic test, prompting the Austrian women to skip the large‑hill event for safety reasons.
- DSV sport director Horst Hüttel called the redesigned Normalschanze "not well done" and urged modest hill-profile changes, including flattening the take‑off by about 0.5 degrees.
- Hüttel also pressed for regulatory adjustments such as increasing women's suit volume and limiting stride length to reduce landing loads.
- Coaches, including Germany’s Heinz Kuttin, linked tighter suits to higher inrun speeds and greater landing pressure, arguing the current equipment setup is contributing to risk.
- Four‑time world champion Martin Schmitt questioned the Telemark landing requirement as an outdated hazard and urged the federation to weigh athlete health over tradition.