02/06/26 01:37:00
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02/06 13:35 CST Skiing's regulatory body rejects 'wild rumor' ski jumpers are
enhancing anatomy to gain distance
Skiing's regulatory body rejects 'wild rumor' ski jumpers are enhancing anatomy
to gain distance
By BRIAN MELLEY
Associated Press
PREDAZZO, Italy (AP) --- The regulatory body for skiing on Friday dismissed as
a "wild rumor" reports that ski jumpers are enhancing their groin area to gain
distance as the Winter Olympics begins.
A report by the German tabloid Bild last month suggested some ski jumpers were
injecting hyaluronic acid in their genitals or wearing a condom-like sheath
before undergoing rigorous checks on ski-suit sizing. The newspaper said the
manipulation would justify wearing a larger ski jump suit that could provide
more lift and a longer flight to capture medals.
The report gained international attention this week after World Anti-Doping
officials, in Milan for the 2026 Winter Olympics, suggested they were ready to
investigate the matter, if it was doping related.
However, 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."
The Bild report went largely unnoticed internationally until World Anti-Doping
Agency Director General Olivier Niggli was asked about it in Milan on Thursday.
"If anything was to come to the surface, we would look at anything and if it is
doping related. We don't do other means of enhancing performance," Niggli told
reporters.
The suggestion of such manipulation quickly became a media sensation with some
reports offering medical experts weighing in on the wisdom of injecting the
acid naturally created in the body that lubricates joints and is used in
moisturizing creams.
Asked to clarify whether WADA was investigating the matter, agency spokesperson
James Fitzgerald told AP on Friday that hyaluronic acid was not on its list of
banned substances, and referred to FIS for issues related to ski jumping suits.
The subject is particularly sensitive for ski jumping in the wake of a cheating
scandal last year in which Norwegian team leaders were caught on camera
manipulating ski suits at the World Championship in Trondheim, Norway.
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 before the men's large hill event.
Norwegian ski jumpers Marius Lindvik and Johann Andr Forfang accepted
three-month suspensions that allowed them to compete in this season's events.
In the wake of the scandal, FIS introduced more rigorous equipment controls
that includes checks before and after each jump and improved 3-D measurements
to evaluate athletes in their uniforms. Microchips embedded in suits are also
designed to prevent manipulation.
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AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
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