The 2026 Winter Olympics have kicked off today (6 February), and the major sporting event has already made headlines across the globe over a so-called 'penis-enlarging' scandal.
The World Anti-Doping Agency, responsible for setting and policing anti-doping rules across sport worldwide, confirmed it could intervene with a formal investigation if evidence shows male ski jumpers are injecting their penises to gain a 'competitive advantage'.
Last month, German newspaper Bild reported that some athletes could allegedly be using hyaluronic acid injections, which can last up to 18 months, ahead of suit measurements.
Although the substance is not banned in sport, it can increase penis circumference by one or two centimetres, and that extra size could widen the surface area of a jumpsuit in competition.
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The International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) says a larger suit can improve lift mid-flight.
FIS communications director Bruno Sassi rejected such claims outright.
"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," he told BBC Sport.
Athletes have to complete 3D body scans before each season, wearing tight, elastic underwear. Suit rules allow only two to four centimetres of tolerance, with crotch height measured closely.
Men’s suits can add three centimetres to an athlete’s natural measurement.
But, as an added safeguard, athletes' suits will then need to pass through a control checkpoint, where tamper-proof microchips are fitted to prevent any later alterations, according to a report by The Sun.
Anyone caught manipulating equipment will face a football-style yellow and red card system.
A first offence brings a yellow card and disqualification, while the second breach triggers a red card, ruling the athlete out of the next event, and their team also loses a skier slot in the competition.
Efforts to gain an edge through suit manipulation are not new, as just last August, Norwegian Olympic medallists Marius Lindvik and Johann André Forfang received three-month bans linked to altered suits at the World Ski Championships in Trondheim.
Head coach Magnus Brevik, assistant coach Thomas Lobben, and staff member Adrian Livelten, also faced an 18-month ban.
They were later cleared of direct involvement, though FIS said their team had tried 'tried to cheat the system' using reinforced thread in jumpsuits.
Both are set to compete at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games, with the men’s ski jumping competition beginning after the weekend on Monday (9 February).
Topics: Olympics, World News, News, Sport
Rhiannon Ingle