February 19, 2010 (Whistler, BC) – A controversy has erupted at the 2010 Olympic Winter

Games concering the Ski Jumping competitions. Austria and Switzerland, the two leading nations in ski jumping, have locked horns. The Austrians say that the binding used by Switzerland’s Simon Ammann, the recent Olympic gold champ on the Normal Hill, is not regular. The 28-year-old Ammann has used the binding since the World Cup competitions in Klingenthal, Germany and the modifications provide more stability to his jumping.

During the Team Captains meeting on Thursday at Whistler Olympic Park, the Austrian team presented a dossier claiming that the new binding does not conform with the International Competition Rules. If Ammann uses the same binding again at Saturday’s jumping competition, they will protest against it. Official took note of these circumstances but did not comment further on the situation.

The Swiss team said that regardless of any protest there will no changes and that Ammann will be jumping with the same binding system.

Four Hills tournament winner and World Champion, Wolfgang Loitzl from Austria, said that the binding would be an advantage for Ammann, but added: “No material in the world can fly by itself.” Toni Innauer, a 1980 Olympic Champion and current sport director of the Austrian team is more critical. “From my point of view, the binding is irregular because it was not presented at the meeting of the FIS commission for development,” said Innauer. “With this binding, [Simon] Ammann can jump 5-8 meters further,” Innauer told an Austrian newspaper.

The waiting game is on. Will Ammann use the controversial binding this Saturday at the Olympic Large Hill competition and if he does  will the Austrians make good on their threat and protest against? The other question is how the FIS ski jumping commission will rule on the matter. If the binding is declared irregular will the Polish team protest against Ammann’s gold in the Normal Hill and demand that Adam Malysz be declared the new Olympic champion?

The rivalry between Austria and the Switzerland, normally a hot issue in alpine downhill racing, has now spilled over into jumping as well.