Volodymyr BOSCHUK: “I didn’t drink water, I lost some weight and the overalls became wider”

Coach of the Ukrainian ski jumping team Volodymyr Boshchuk commented on the decision approved by the FIS regarding changes in the rules of equipment, which was a consequence of the scandal at the World Cup.

The expert assessed the Ukrainian team’s readiness for new requirements and recalled the situation with the team’s disqualification at the summer Grand Prix in Italy due to the inappropriateness of Yevhen Marusiak’s suit.

“Now there are new rules, cuts and tailoring. The overalls were still fitted to Yevhen directly, in all respects. But I think that somewhere he did not have lunch, he was seriously preparing for the competition, so it was very hot to sit on the springboard for another three or four hours. I didn’t drink water, I lost some weight – and the overalls became a little wider.

Sometimes you drink carbonated water, stand for measurements and inflate your stomach – and you’re done. And sometimes you can’t.

We must control this process more clearly and more tightly. We have a sewing machine – before the competition, you need to measure each athlete again individually or immediately on the springboard an hour before the competition, just to make sure that it is really correct and not too wide. Therefore, we will work on it.

Sometimes we did not check the overalls perfectly: the start passed – we checked, everything is fine. I lost a little weight somewhere in the waist – the overalls are too wide. And now it is very strict: anything more than a centimeter is disqualification. It needs to be controlled,” Boschuk said.