The World Anti-Doping Agency may investigate male ski jumpers if evidence emerges that they are injecting their genitals to improve their performance in the sport.
Last January, the German newspaper Bild reported, external Jumpers have reported having hyaluronic acid injected into their penises before being measured for their suits.
The use of hyaluronic acid, which is not prohibited in sports, can increase the girth of the penis by 1-2 cm.
According to FIS, the International Ski and Snowboard Federation, this can increase the surface area of the chute during competition, resulting in increased aerial flight.
“Every centimeter of the chute is more important. If the surface area of the chute is 5% larger, you can fly further,” said Sandro Pertile, FIS Ski Jumping Men’s Competition Director.
“I don’t know the details of ski jumping and how it can improve performance,” Wada Secretary-General Olivier Niggli said in response to Bild’s claims at a press conference for the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.
“If anything surfaces we will look at it and see if it is doping-related. We do not comment on other (non-doping) means of improving performance.”
Witold Banka, Polish President of Wada, clearly intrigued by the question, joked: “Ski jumping is very popular in Poland, so I promise I’ll look into it.”
FIS communications director Bruno Sassi told BBC Sport: “There was no indication whatsoever, let alone evidence, that any competitor was using hyaluronic acid injections to gain a competitive advantage.”
