Ski jumping is a winter sport in which skiers go down a hill with a
take-off ramp (the jump), attempting to go as far as possible. In addition to
the length, referees give points for style, on a scale from 1 to 20. The skis
used for ski jumping are wide and long, with parallel sides.
Origins
The origin of ski jumping was in Morgedal, Norway, but the first proper
competition was held in Trysil in 1862. The first widely known ski jumping
competition was held in Husebybakken, Oslo, in 1879. The yearly event was moved
to Holmenkollen from 1892, and Holmenkollen has remained the Mecca of ski
jumping ever since. In addition to the separate sport of ski jumping, with the
three events of "normal hill", "large hill", and "team competition", ski jumping
is one of two elements in Nordic combined.
Competition and technique
Today, World Cup ski jumping competitions are mostly held on "small ramps",
where distances of about up to 110 meters are reached, and "big ramps", where
the maximum distance is about 130 meters.
Using the modern V-technique, pioneered by Jan Boklöv of Sweden, world-level
skiers are able to exceed the distance of the take-off hill by about 10 percent
compared to the previous technique with parallel skis. Aerodynamics has become a
factor of increasing importance in modern ski jumping, with recent rules
addressing the regulation of ski jumping suits (following a period when "holes"
in the rules seemed to favour skinny jumpers in stiff, "air foil"-like suits).
So-called ski flying events are held on particularly large ramps (such as the
one in Planica, Slovenia, or the Kulm, Austria). The current ski flying world
record, set by Bjørn Einar Romøren on March 20, 2005 in Planica, stands at
distance of 239 meters.
Popularity
Ski jumping is popular among spectators and TV audiences in Scandinavia and
Central Europe. Almost all world-class ski jumpers come from those regions or
from Japan. Traditionally, the strongest countries (with consistently strong
teams) are Finland, Norway, Germany (formerly both East and West), and Austria.
However, there always have been successful ski jumpers from other countries as
well . The Four Hills Tournament, held annually at four sites in
Bavaria and Austria around New Year, is very popular and draws huge crowds.
There have been attempts to spread the popularity of the sport by finding
ways by which the construction and upkeep of practising and competition venues
can be made easier. These include plastic "fake snow" to provide a slippery
surface even during the summer time and in locations where snow is a rare
occurrence, and the Ski jumping sling invented by Spede Pasanen which allows
construction of an inexpensive and unobtrusive jumping tower.
| 2006 Winter Olympics
medal count |
| Pos |
Country |
Gold |
Silver |
Bronze |
Total |
| 1 |
Germany |
11 |
12 |
6 |
29 |
| 2 |
United States |
9 |
9 |
7 |
25 |
| 3 |
Austria |
9 |
7 |
7 |
23 |
| 4 |
Russia |
8 |
6 |
8 |
22 |
| 5 |
Canada |
7 |
10 |
7 |
24 |
| 6 |
Sweden |
7 |
2 |
5 |
14 |
| 7 |
Korea |
6 |
3 |
2 |
11 |
| 8 |
Switzerland |
5 |
4 |
5 |
14 |
| 9 |
Italy |
5 |
0 |
6 |
11 |
| 10 |
France |
3 |
2 |
4 |
9 |
| Netherlands |
3 |
2 |
4 |
9 |
| 12 |
Estonia |
3 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
| 13 |
Norway |
2 |
8 |
9 |
19 |
| 14 |
China |
2 |
4 |
5 |
11 |
| 15 |
Czech Republic |
1 |
2 |
1 |
4 |
| 16 |
Croatia |
1 |
2 |
0 |
3 |
| 17 |
Australia |
1 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
| 18 |
Japan |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| 19 |
Finland |
0 |
6 |
3 |
9 |
| 20 |
Poland |
0 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
| 21 |
Belarus |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
| Bulgaria |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
| Great Britain |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
| Slovakia |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
| 25 |
Ukraine |
0 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
| 26 |
Latvia |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
| |
|
84 |
84 |
84 |
252 |
|
