Emil Liekari, a Finnish skier, voiced strong frustration towards the International Ski Federation (FIS) for allowing Norway to use a prohibited waxing machine and letting the United States use a banned substance in a motor for cleaning their hands. He criticized FIS and its competition manager Michal Lamplot for failing to enforce the rules consistently, emphasizing that if regulations exist, they should be respected and followed. Liekari condemned the situation, stating that this isn't the first time FIS has made such errors and warned that they need to wake up to the seriousness of the issue.

In light of the controversy, Liekari was asked whether he had used the cleansing agent from a bottle with a sponge cap, to which he refuted the idea by asserting that he doesn't deal with such substances and instead uses small bottles of hand sanitizer readily available from stores. His remarks highlight the broader issues of competition integrity and fair play in the ski community and emphasize his commitment to a clean sporting environment.

On the other hand, John Steel Hagenbuch, a member of the US ski team, responded to the uproar, expressing pride in their team’s clean competition record. He assured that they have acted honorably throughout the situation, interpreting the actions of their competitor as a result of a human error. Hagenbuch’s comments attempt to reaffirm the integrity of the formations surrounding competitive skiing and portray the US team in a positive light amid the controversy.