Men's Ski Jumping Event Forced to End by Heavy Snowfall 'Mishap'

Heavy Snow Disrupts Olympic Ski Jumping Superteam Event
Third Round Canceled With Three Teams Left, Second-Round Results Stand as Final Rankings
Japan and Germany Miss Out on Medals Despite Medal-Contending Scores

The men's ski jumping superteam event was cut short due to a sudden heavy snowfall.

On February 16 (Korea time), the men's ski jumping superteam event at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, held at the ski jumping venue in Predazzo, Italy, was abruptly ended during the third round because of heavy snowfall. In ski jumping, the final ranking is determined based on the points earned for flight distance and form, with additional points added or deducted depending on wind strength and the height of the start gate. The superteam format, introduced for the first time at these Games, has two athletes per country forming a team and accumulating points over a total of three rounds.

German ski jumpers were disappointed after the third round of the men's ski jumping super team event at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics was cut short by heavy snowfall. Predazzo, Italy = AP Yonhap

The event was suddenly halted with only three jumps remaining before the end of the final third round. The International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) determined that it would be difficult to ensure athlete safety because the heavy snowfall had sharply reduced the inrun speed on the takeoff ramp and changed the wind direction, and therefore voided the third-round results and recognized the standings after the first two rounds as the final rankings. In ski jumping, the competition proceeds in reverse order of the standings from the previous round.

Austria, Poland, and Norway, which were at the top of the standings and waiting to jump last, finished the competition without recording their final jumps. As a result, Austria claimed the inaugural championship title of the event with 568.7 points. Poland took the silver medal with 547.3 points, and Norway earned the bronze medal with 538.0 points.

The early termination of the event had mixed consequences for each team. In Japan's case, Ren Nikaido scored highly with the first jump of the third round and moved into a provisional medal position, but when the competition was stopped and the third-round results were voided, the rankings were determined based on the scores up to the second round, leaving Japan in sixth place overall. Germany also finished the competition in fourth place, just 0.3 points behind third-place Norway.

FIS race director Sandro Pertile explained the decision to end the competition early, saying, "Because the sudden heavy snowfall reduced the inrun speed on the takeoff ramp and the wind direction changed drastically, continuing the event would actually have created an even more unfair situation." He added, "Under the rules, we have the authority to cancel a round, and tonight was exactly such a case," emphasizing the legitimacy of the decision made on site.