Olympic ski jumpers might be using penis injections to fly further, report alleges
Let the games of inches begin.
The German newspaper Bild reported in January that some male athletes may be injecting hyaluronic acid into their penises to fly further while competing at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics.
Penisgate, as it's being referred to, has raised questions of if size really matters.
It most certainly does in ski jumping, where the increased bulk in an athlete’s suit could impact aerodynamics and glide time in the air. A larger suit means extra fabric to catch air like a sail and prolong a ski jumper’s flight.
A study by the scientific journal Frontiers found that just a 2-centimeter increase in suit size could add five to six meters to the length of a jump.
The international ski federation, FIS – the governing body for ski jumping – on Friday rejected the claims made in the report.
“This wild rumor started off a few weeks ago from pure hearsay,” FIS spokesman Bruno Sassi told The Associated Press. “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.”
Athletes are measured before the season using 3D body scanners while wearing skin-tight underwear. The report suggests some athletes might be attempting to enhance their performance by using the liquid injections to increase the measurements of their genital area, and thus their body suit.
Hyaluronic acid, a legal substance commonly used in cosmetic and medical treatments, is not banned by anti-doping rules.
But ski jumping does have a history of suit manipulation. Last year, Norway’s team was caught altering the crotch area of suits with extra stitching to make them bigger.
https://www.nbclosangeles.com/olympics/2026-milan-cortina/olympic-ski-jumpers-might-be-using-penis-injections-to-fly-further-report-alleges/3842538/