MILAN-CORTINA, Italy — A bizarre and controversial allegation has shaken the international ski jumping community, with reports claiming some male athletes injected substances into their genitals to gain a competitive edge — a scandal that has quickly been dubbed “Penisgate”.
According to BBC Sport, the claims originated from a January report by German tabloid Bild, which alleged that some ski jumpers injected hyaluronic acid into their penises before official suit measurements. Hyaluronic acid, which is not currently banned in sport, can temporarily increase girth by one to two centimetres.
The alleged motive is aerodynamic. In ski jumping, athletes wear form-fitting suits whose size is strictly regulated. Even small increases in body measurements can allow for a larger suit surface area, which may help an athlete stay airborne longer.
“Every extra centimetre on a suit counts. If your suit has a 5pc bigger surface area, you fly further,” said Sandro Pertile, the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) men’s race director.
The issue surfaced publicly during a press conference at the Milan–Cortina Winter Olympics, where World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Director General Olivier Niggli said the agency was not aware of any formal evidence linking such practices to performance enhancement.
“I am not aware of the details of ski jumping and how that could improve performance,” Niggli said. “If anything was to come to the surface, we would look at it and see if it is doping-related. We don’t address other [non-doping] means of enhancing performance.”
Wada President Witold Banka struck a lighter tone when asked about the claims, telling reporters: “Ski jumping is very popular in Poland, so I promise you I’m going to look at it,” a remark he later repeated to The Guardian with a wry smile.
FIS, however, has firmly rejected the allegations. Communications director Bruno Sassi told BBC Sport that the federation had seen no evidence supporting the claims.
“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,” Sassi said.
The controversy comes against the backdrop of recent, proven cases of suit manipulation in the sport. During the 2025 World Ski Championships, Norwegian Olympic medallists Marius Lindvik and Johann André Forfang were handed three-month bans after officials discovered their suits had been secretly altered around the crotch area. The modifications increased aerodynamic surface area and slowed descent speed.
Norway’s head coach, Magnus Brevik, assistant coach Thomas Lobben, and staff member Adrian Livelten were later suspended for 18 months for their roles in the scheme.
Scientific research suggests such marginal gains can be significant. A study published in Frontiers found that increasing suit circumference by just 2cm could reduce drag by 4pc and increase lift by 5pc, potentially adding up to 5.8 metres to a jump.
Bild further alleged that some athletes may have attempted to manipulate 3D body scans — which record the lowest point of the genitals — by injecting substances or placing materials such as clay in their underwear to temporarily inflate measurements.
Dr Kamran Karim, quoted by the newspaper, warned that such practices carry health risks. “It is possible to achieve a temporary, visual thickening of the penis by injecting paraffin or hyaluronic acid,” he said.
“Such an injection is not medically indicated and is associated with risks.”
While no athlete has been formally accused and no evidence has been confirmed, the episode has reignited debate about fairness, safety, and regulation in elite sport.
Under Wada rules, any method that endangers athlete’s health or undermines the integrity of competition could eventually be prohibited.
For now, the sport is left grappling with an extraordinary allegation — one that underscores how far competitors may go in pursuit of marginal gains.