PREDAZZO, Italy – The regulatory body for skiing on Friday dismissed as “rumour” reports that ski jumpers are increasing their groin area to gain distance as the Winter Olympics begin.
A report in the German tabloid Bild last month suggested that some ski jumpers were injecting hyaluronic acid into their genitals or wearing a condom-like sheath ahead of rigorous ski-suit size checks. The newspaper said the manipulation would make it easier to wear a larger ski jumping suit that could provide more lift and longer flight to achieve a medal.
The report gained international attention this week when World Anti-Doping Agency officials in Milan for the 2026 Winter Olympics suggested they were prepared to investigate the matter if it was doping-related.
However, the International Ski Federation, FIS – the governing body for ski jumping – rejected the claims made in the report on Friday.
“This wild rumor started a few weeks ago from pure rumor,” FIS spokesman Bruno Sassi told the Associated Press. “There is no indication, let alone evidence, that any competitor has ever used hyaluronic acid injections in an attempt to gain a competitive advantage.”
The BUILD report went unnoticed internationally until WADA Director General Olivier Niggli was asked about it in Milan on Thursday.
Niggli told reporters, “If anything comes to the surface, we will look at anything – and if it is related to doping. We do not do other means of performance enhancing.”
The suggestion of such manipulation soon became a media sensation, with some reporting medical experts considered the wisdom of injecting a naturally occurring acid into the body, which lubricates joints and is used in moisturizing creams.
Asked to clarify whether WADA was investigating the matter, agency spokesman James Fitzgerald told the AP on Friday that hyaluronic acid was not on the list of banned substances and that issues related to ski jumping suits had been referred to FIS.
The topic is particularly sensitive for ski jumping in the wake of a cheating scandal last year in which the leaders of the Norwegian team at the World Championships in Trondheim, Norway, were caught on camera manipulating ski suits.
Head coach Magnus Breivik, assistant coach Thomas Loeben and staff member Adrian Livelton were recently banned from the sport for 18 months for tampering with suits before the men’s big hill event.
Norwegian ski jumpers Marius Lindvik and Johan Andre Forfang Accepted three months suspension This allowed him to compete in this season’s events.
In the wake of the scandal, FIS introduced more stringent equipment controls including checks before and after each jump and improved 3-D measurements to evaluate athletes in their uniforms. Microchips embedded in the suits are also designed to prevent manipulation.
