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Inspector Agnieszka Baczkowska
Photo: Kacper Kirklewski / IMAGO / Newspix
After the chaos at the Olympic mixed competition in ski jumping, a material controller has now spoken up - and rejected any criticism.
"It was my hardest day in ten years as a materials controller," said Agnieszka Baczkowska. "But I have to make sure that everyone has the same opportunities, because it's about justice."
Five jumpers were disqualified due to irregular suits, all from top nations.
Germany and Olympic silver medalist Katharina Althaus were also affected.
As a result, the long-time ski jumping materials controller Joseph Gratzer, among others, severely criticized his successor Mika Jukkara.
»I have the impression that he wants to change everything overnight and organize the control activities differently.
For me he is not the right man on the pitch at the moment, I guess you were wrong," Gratzer told the "Tiroler Tageszeitung".
Jukkara and Baczkowska were responsible for the jumping controls.
The 66-year-old Gratzer only gave up the post at the end of last season in March 2021.
Gratzer said about his time and the stark contrast on Monday evening in Zhangjiakou: »Our premise has always been: Material control should never be the main focus in a competition.
It is a marginal phenomenon that guarantees fairness and equal opportunities.
Apparently that didn't work out in this case."
Horst Hüttel: »It is reasonable to assume that the measurements were different today«
Baczkowska didn't understand the fuss.
“What am I supposed to do if someone jumps in a suit four inches too big?
So please!
You can see that with the naked eye,' she said.
Baczkowska returned the criticism via a frontal attack on those affected: "I didn't think that this could happen at the Olympics.
I assumed that the teams would prepare and take the competition seriously.« And further: »I'm just doing my job.«
The anger was particularly great because it was allegedly measured with different standards.
"Austria and Japan say in unison that they jumped with the same equipment as in the individual competition," said sports director Horst Hüttel from the German Ski Association (DSV).
“Everything was okay there, and now all of a sudden it's not.
For us, the suspicion is that the measurements were different today,” says Hüttel.
In contrast to the women's competition at the weekend, there was an additional men's inspector in the mixed competition.
The Finn Jukkara joined the Polish women inspector Baczkowska.
The anger of the Germans was concentrated on him.
The DSV team had recently won the mixed competition four times in a row at the world championships.
"The new inspector has tightened the controls extremely - it feels very tightened for the German ski jumpers too," said national coach Stefan Horngacher, who is responsible for the entire German team.
Hüttel saw it similarly.
“This is a total mess.
Showing the athletes like that is strong stuff.
That's a bit scandalous and doesn't reflect well on the sport because nobody understands it."
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