Allegations that male ski jumpers are undergoing a highly unusual medical procedure to gain a competitive edge have caught the attention of global anti-doping authorities at the Winter Olympics.
The controversy stems from a recent report by German newspaper Bild, which claimed some athletes are injecting their penises with hyaluronic acid—a substance not banned in sport—to temporarily increase circumference by one to two centimeters.
The potential advantage lies in the strict regulations governing ski jumping suits. Athletes are measured pre-season via 3D body scanners while wearing tight underwear. Suits are allowed only a 2-4cm tolerance from the body. A larger measured circumference, due to the injections, could theoretically result in a suit with a greater surface area.
“Every extra centimetre on a suit counts. If your suit has a 5% bigger surface area, you fly further,” explained Sandro Pertile, the International Ski and Snowboard Federation’s (FIS) ski jumping men’s race director.
When questioned about the allegations at a press conference, World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Director General Olivier Niggli stated his agency was not currently investigating but would review any evidence presented.
“If anything was to come to the surface, we would look at it and see if it is doping related,” Niggli said.
WADA President Witold Banka, humorously acknowledging ski jumping’s popularity in his native Poland, added, “I promise you I’m going to look at it.”
FIS communications director Bruno Sassi, however, pushed back on the claims in a statement to BBC Sport: “There has never been any indication, let alone evidence, that any competitor has ever made use of a hyaluronic acid injection to attempt to gain a competitive advantage.”
The discussion around potential manipulation follows a recent suit-tampering scandal. In August, two Norwegian Olympic medallists accepted suspensions after their team inserted reinforced thread into their suits during a world championship event, an attempt to create an aerodynamic advantage. Both athletes are competing in these Games.
The men’s ski jumping competition at the Milan-Cortina Olympics begins Monday.
