Four-time Olympic champion Simon Ammann from Switzerland will be only the third ski jumper to contest his seventh Winter Games.
The National Olympic Committee called the 40-year-old into its squad for the competitions in Beijing on Tuesday. Ammann will also be the first Swiss to take part in the Olympics – summer and winter – for the seventh time.
“Simon Ammann is an exceptional phenomenon in Swiss sport and we are delighted to welcome him to the Swiss Olympic Team for the seventh time,” said Ralph Stöckli, Chef de Mission of the Swiss team.
The record holder among ski jumpers as well as among winter sports enthusiasts in general is the Japanese Noriaki Kasai with eight participations, but the 49-year-old missed the qualification for Beijing. The Finn Janne Ahonen competed in seven winter games.
Speed skater Claudia Pechstein (Berlin) will draw level with Kasai in Beijing. The only athlete with ten Olympic participations is the Canadian rider Ian Millar.
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