The important thing is not size… Except in ski jumping. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announced this Thursday that it was looking into the surprising suspicions of cheating raised since last month in the world of ski jumping, at the dawn of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.
In January, an investigation by the German daily Bild revealed the existence of temporary penis enlargement techniques to obtain an aerodynamic advantage. Some athletes inject hyaluronic acid into their penis in order to make this part of their anatomy swell. The goal? Change the measurements of their suit and get a larger one. At the time of flight, with more wind resistance, they would land further away.
“I hadn’t heard of it”
“I don’t know the details of ski jumping and how it can improve (performance), but if any clues were to emerge we would look into them. I had not heard of it before you mentioned it,” explained WADA Director General Olivier Niggli at a press conference this Thursday.
As Reuters reports, WADA currently has no confirmation that these alleged practices took place in official competition. In addition, the agency is competent only when a method of cheating falls within the definition of doping.
“If this is indeed a practice linked to doping, our committee (which examines prohibited substances every year) will certainly look into the question to determine whether it falls into this category,” Olivier Niggli has already announced.
Already cheating attempts
WADA has therefore said it is ready to monitor athletes for the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. At the end of each event, ski jumpers normally undergo a full-body scan to ensure their skin-tight suits do not include extra material that would give them more lift as they soar through the air.
The manipulation of ski jumpsuits has already given rise to various sanctions. Two Norwegian Olympic medalists, Marius Lindvik and Johann André Forfang, were suspended for three months last year after their team was caught secretly adjusting the crotch seams of their suits at the 2025 World Ski Championships.
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