The Norwegian Ski Federation has suspended two staff members, including the national team coach, after the governing body admitted that the country's ski jumping team cheated by manipulating jumpsuits at the Nordic World Ski Championships in Trondheim.
The federation said its ski jumping committee requested the suspension of national team coach Magnus Brevig and equipment manager Adrian Livelten after two Norwegian athletes were disqualified Saturday.
Acting general secretary Ola Keul said the suspensions were immediate and until further notice.
"The information that has emerged so far about the events ... is so serious that it provides grounds for suspending their employment," the federation said in a statement Monday.
Stine Korsen, the chair of the ski jumping committee, said Norway would welcome an investigation by the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) into the cheating.
"We take this matter very seriously and recognize that equipment has been deliberately manipulated in violation of FIS regulations in order to gain an advantage in the competition," Korsen said.
Bine Norcic will act as coach while Brevig is suspended, the federation said.
"I have consented to the suspension ... I'm terribly sorry for what we did," local media quoted Brevik as saying after he spoke to reporters Monday. "We have manipulated or modified the jumpsuits in a way that violates the regulations -- ergo, cheated."
Competitors Marius Lindvik and Johann Andre Forfang were disqualified from the men's large hill competition at the Nordic World Ski Championships after they finished second and fourth, respectively.
Livelten, in a statement to local media, apologized to the athletes.
"I would like to apologize to Marius and Johann for the situation they have found themselves in through no fault of their own," he said. "What we did with the suits should never have happened and is an action I will regret for the rest of my life. We have always done what we can to optimize the suits within the regulations, but cheating is completely unacceptable."