The World Anti-Doping Agency has confirmed it will examine allegations that male ski jumpers at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics may be injecting hyaluronic acid into their penises to gain a competitive edge.
The extraordinary claims, first reported by German publication Bild in January, suggest athletes are temporarily enlarging their genitalia before official body measurements to secure larger competition suits.
The scandal has cast an unusual shadow over the Games, which officially commence on Friday.
Men's ski jumping events are scheduled to begin on Monday, with WADA officials now fielding questions about a practice that would represent an entirely novel form of performance enhancement.
The Winter Olympics has been rocked by an unusual scandal just before the official start
| GETTYThe rationale behind such extreme measures lies in the physics of ski jumping, where even marginal gains in suit dimensions can prove decisive.
Research published in the scientific journal Frontiers demonstrated that a mere two-centimetre increase in suit circumference reduces drag by four per cent whilst boosting lift by five per cent.
Such modifications translate to approximately 5.8 additional metres in jump distance.
FIS ski jumping men's race director Sandro Pertile underscored the significance of suit specifications: "Every extra centimetre on a suit counts. If your suit has a 5 per cent bigger surface area, you fly further."
Athletes undergo 3D body scanning before each season, wearing only tight-fitting underwear during measurements.
Norwegian Olympic medallist Marius Lindvik accepted a three-month suspension last year
|REUTERS
The allegations follow a troubling precedent from last year's World Ski Championships in Trondheim, Norway.
Norwegian Olympic medallists Marius Lindvik and Johann Andre Forfang accepted three-month suspensions after their team was discovered to have covertly modified suit seams around the crotch area.
Head coach Magnus Brevik, assistant Thomas Lobben, and staff member Adrian Livelten received lengthier 18-month bans for orchestrating the scheme.
The FIS determined the Norwegian team had "tried to cheat the system" by inserting reinforced thread into jumpsuits, creating a sail-like effect that extended flight distance.
Both suspended athletes are set to compete at these Winter Olympics.
The Olympic rings on the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium used during the Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games 2026, in Cortina, Italy | REUTERSWADA's director general Olivier Niggli confirmed the agency would scrutinise any formal complaints, though he admitted unfamiliarity with the sport's technical intricacies.
"I'm not aware of the details of ski jumping – and how this can improve – but if anything was to come to the surface we would look at anything if it is actually doping related," he stated.
His Polish counterpart, WADA president Witold Banka, responded with evident amusement: "Ski jumping is very popular in Poland so I promise you I'm going to look at it."
Notably, hyaluronic acid remains a legal substance in competitive sport, with injections potentially lasting up to 18 months.