World Anti-Doping Agency responds to accusations of penis injections at the Winter Olympics

One day before the Opening Ceremony at the Winter Olympics in MilanWorld Anti-Doping Agency officials addressed a German tabloid’s claims that male skiers could inject hyaluronic acid into their penises to gain an advantage in the Games.

Last month, a report in German newspaper Bild suggested that male athletes were injecting the filler into their genitals before trying on their ski jumping suit, so that the 3D scanned measurements used to evaluate their suit sizes would be slightly larger, potentially giving them an advantage in the competition.

“I don’t know the details of ski jumping or how that could improve performance,” WADA director general Olivier Niggli told reporters in Milan when asked about the claims, BBC Sport reported.

“If something came to the surface, we would analyze it and see if it is related to doping. We do not address other [non-doping] means to improve performance,” Niggli said.

Witold Banka, Polish president of WADA, joked in response to the question: “Ski jumping is very popular in Poland, so I promise you I’ll watch it,” BBC Sport reported.

In ski jumping, a small difference in suit size can make a significant difference in an athlete’s performance.

“Every extra centimeter of a suit counts,” Sandro Pertile, men’s race director of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS), said in 2024. “If your suit has a 5% larger surface area, you fly farther.”

Before the start of each season, ski jumpers’ suits are measured using body scanners, according to BBC Sport. The rules dictate that their suits must fit their body measurements, between 2 and 4 centimeters.

“There has never been any indication, let alone evidence, that any competitor has ever used a hyaluronic acid injection to try to gain a competitive advantage,” FIS communications director Bruno Sassi told BBC Sport.

However, there have been previous cases of suit tampering.

In August last year, Norwegian Olympic medalists Johann Andre Forfang and Marius Lindvik accepted three-month suspensions for their roles in suit manipulation using reinforced yarn during the 2025 World Ski Championships, BBC Sport reported.