A Celebration on Ice and Snow, Beijing 2022: Curling

Originating in Norway, ski jumping was one of the eight official events in the first Olympic Winter Games. It is a sport that combines speed and power, and demands technical elements, making it challenging and fun to watch. A ski jump hill consists of the inrun, the landing hill and the outrun. A normal hill and a large hill are classified by the hill size (HS) and a K-point.

The technical elements of a jump include inrun set, takeoff move (jump itself), flight phase, landing and ski out (outrun). During a competition, athletes must optimise takeoff angles and aerodynamics to go as far as possible, land safely and ski out in a telemark position.

The total points gained by an athlete consist of the sum of style points, distance points and wind and gate compensation factor. Five judges watch the jump to award points for style on flight, landing and outrun. The highest possible score is 20. The highest and lowest of these are disregarded and the remaining three are added to produce a total style score.

Distance points depend on the hill’s K-point. Competitors are awarded 60 points if they land at the K-point. If the jump is shorter than the K-point, points are subtracted from 60 points. For every metre beyond the K-point, the competitor is awarded extra points. Generally, it is 1.8 points per metre on a large hill, 2 points per metre on a normal hill. During a competition, scores for the gate factor will change when the start gate number (therefore the length or inrun) is adjusted from the initial position. To ensure fair competition, a jumper who gets tailwind receives extra points, while a jumper who gets headwind gets points deducted.

Copyright: the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Beijing 2022– A Celebration on Ice and Snow, translated by Xing Yutang