The tournament was instead dominated by the host country and for the first time, the Four Hills were won by a West German ski jumper, Max Bolkart.

In October 1959, they finally adapted a distinctive flag, the East German coat of arms in front of the tricolour.

The strong East German delegation including defending champion Helmut Recknagel refused to compete under the circumstances and withdrew.

Teams of countries that accepted East Germany as a sovereign nation and thus their flag, withdrew in solidarity (Czechoslovakia, Poland and the Soviet Union).

[1] Many notable absences include the teams from East Germany, the Soviet Union, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Norway and the top athletes from Finland.