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Ski jumping 101: Competition format

Ski jumping 101: Competition format
Posted at 7:41 AM, Oct 11, 2021
and last updated 2021-10-11 10:47:05-04

In both individual men’s events, the normal hill and the large hill, there are two training sessions and a qualification round prior to the final (medal event). Each National Olympic Committee (NOC) can enter a maximum of four athletes for each event. Qualification rounds will reduce the field to 50 competitors. The top 10 jumpers from the current season’s World Cup standings qualify for the final automatically and can elect to not jump in the qualifying round. The qualification round includes one trial jump and one scored jump.

In the final, there is again one trial jump and two rounds of competitive jumps. Jumpers use the same bib in both rounds, and for the final jump, they start in the reverse order of the points they scored in the first jump of the final. The jumper with the highest combined score from the two rounds is the winner.

The men's team competition (for men only) is contested on the large hill, featuring four jumpers per NOC. There is a trial round and two competition rounds. Jumpers are divided into four groups with one jumper from each team per group. The team can decide the order, though it must stay the same for the trial round and both competition rounds. The start order is based on the current FIS Nations Cup standings.

In the second competition round, only the leading eight teams from the first round start. Before the start of the last group in the final round, there will be a break during which the start order for the last group will be placed in reverse order of the current standings.

The calculation of the team results is consistent with those for the individual events. That is, each jumper takes two jumps for a total of eight jumps per team. The scores for the eight jumps are then added to determine a team’s total score, and the team with the highest total wins the competition.

The women’s event does not have a qualification; instead, there is only a final which contains one trial jump and two rounds of scored jumps. There is no elimination in the women’s event – the same 30 entrants compete in each round. The start order in the final is the reverse order of the current World Cup standings (and those competitors without World Cup points will be ordered by a draw). For the final jump, they start in the reverse order of the points they scored in the first jump of the final. The jumper with the highest combined score from the two founds is the winner.

New to the Winter Olympic program for 2022 is the mixed team normal hill competition. Teams are comprised of two male and two female athletes. Only nations who have qualified two ski jumpers of each gender to the individual events may enter the mixed team event.