MILAN, Feb 5 (Reuters) — Winter Olympic doping chiefs say they will be on the lookout for any evidence male ski jumpers are artificially enlarging their penises in a bid to manipulate one of the sport’s rules and gain an aerodynamic advantage.
WADA Director General Olivier Niggli, speaking at a press conference in Milan ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics, said the World Anti Doping Agency would explore whether the alleged practice constitutes doping.
Niggli was responding to questions following a report in German newspaper Bild which raised fears of some male ski jumpers attempting to manipulate the 3D body-scanning measurements used to size competition suits by temporarily enlarging their penises.
Ski jumpers undergo a full body scan to ensure their skin-tight suits do not have extra material which would give them more lift as they soar through the air. The crotch of a ski jumper’s suit is allowed to run to the bottom of the athlete’s genitals, meaning an enlarged penis would give them more potentially performance-enhancing material.
The Bild report said the newspaper had discovered insider talk of athletes injecting hyaluronic acid into their penis to alter their suit measurement point, thereby securing a larger, more aerodynamic suit for the duration of the season.
Niggli said WADA had no indication the alleged practices were taking place and stressed WADA only intervenes when a method of cheating falls within the definition of doping.
“I am not aware of the details of ski jumping and how this can improve (the performance), but if any sign was to come to the surface, we will look at it. I haven’t heard about that until you mention it,” he told reporters in Milan.
“If it is actually doping related — we don’t do other means of enhancing performance — but our committee (annually reviewing banned substances) will certainly look to whether it falls into this category,” he added.
The International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) did not respond to a request for comment.
The issue has drawn attention partly because suit manipulation has previously led to sanctions in the sport.
Two of Norway’s Olympic medalists, Marius Lindvik and Johann Andre Forfang, were suspended for three months last year after their team was found to have secretly adjusted seams around the crotch area of their suits at the 2025 World Ski Championships.
Three members of the coaching staff were also banned.
WADA President Witold Banka, asked about the reports on Thursday, responded with a smile, saying ski jumping was very popular in his native Poland and that he would look into the matter.
–Reuters, special to Field Level Media
