PREDAZZO, Italy (AP) – Skiing’s governing body on Friday dismissed as a “wild rumor” reports that skiers are improving their groin area to gain distance as the Winter Olympics begin.
A report by the German tabloid Bild last month suggested that some ski jumpers were injecting hyaluronic acid into their genitalia or wearing a condom-like sheath before undergoing rigorous ski clothing size checks. The newspaper said the manipulation would justify wearing a larger ski jump suit which could provide more lift and a longer flight to capture medals.
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The report gained international attention this week after World Anti-Doping officials, in Milan for the 2026 Winter Olympics, suggested they were prepared to investigate the matter, if it was related to doping.
However, the international skiing federation, FIS – the governing body for ski jumping – on Friday rejected the claims made in the report.
“This wild rumor started 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 hyaluronic acid injection to try to gain a competitive advantage.”
The Bild report went largely unnoticed internationally until World Anti-Doping Agency Director General Olivier Niggli was questioned about it in Milan on Thursday.
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“If something were to come to the surface, we look at something and if it is related to doping. We do not do other means to improve performance,” Niggli told reporters.
The suggestion of such a manipulation quickly became a media sensation with some reports offering medical experts who weigh in on the wisdom of injecting the acid created naturally in the body that lubricates the joints and is used in moisturizing creams.
Asked to clarify whether WADA was investigating the matter, agency spokesman James Fitzgerald told AP on Friday that hyaluronic acid was not on its list of banned substances, referring FIS to issues related to ski jumping suits.
The subject is particularly sensitive for ski jumping after a cheating scandal last year in which Norwegian team leaders were caught on camera manipulating ski suits at the World Championships in Trondheim, Norway.
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Head coach Magnus Brevik, assistant coach Thomas Lobben and staff member Adrian Livelten were recently banned from the sport for 18 months for tampering with the suits ahead of the men’s big hill event.
Norwegian ski jumpers Marius Lindvik and Johann André Forfang have accepted three-month suspensions allowing them to compete in this season’s events.
After the scandal, the FIS introduced more rigorous equipment checks that include 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.
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AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics