Another scandal hits the Olympics. Finland demands review of men's cross-country sprint results
Jan Novak
Dailysports's expert
The Finnish Ski Association, together with the Finnish Olympic Committee, has submitted an official protest to the jury of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) following the sprint events at the 2026 Olympics. The protest stems from circumstances that only became known after the race had concluded.
According to the Finnish side, FIS allowed Norway's service team to bring a container of oil into the technical zone during the sprint—despite a direct prohibition clearly stated in the teams' instructions. Other teams were not informed of this possibility. It later emerged that the US team also used a liquid in the service zone that is banned by the regulations, yet the federation took no action.
Subsequently, FIS admitted it had made a mistake and issued an apology. However, Finland believes that an admission alone is not enough. The complaint emphasizes that the principles of fair play and the provisions of Article 343.12.7 of the International Competition Rules were violated. The Finnish delegation is demanding a review of the race results to eliminate the advantage that was gained.
In the men's sprint, the medals went to athletes from Norway and the United States. The best Finnish finisher was Lauri Vuorinen, who came in fourth. The association also noted that it was the federation, not the athlete, who initiated the protest. Now, the Finnish side expects a prompt decision from the jury and does not rule out further action if the verdict is unsatisfactory.
