The Winter Olympics 2026 in Italy’s Milan and Cortina have been struck by a “Penisgate” scandal in which ski jumpers are allegedly injecting their penises with hyaluronic acid to help them fly further. So far, no ski jumpers at the Milano Cortina 2026 are using such malpractices, but similar things have happened in the past, and there’s a fear some may do the same at the world’s biggest stage.

Keeping the concerns in mind, World Anti-Doping Agency president Witold Banka was recently bombarded with questions over athletes injecting hyaluronic acid into their penises to gain a competitive advantage. Banka didn’t have a clear answer as he said with a smile that “Ski jumping is very popular in Poland [his home country], so I promise you I’m going to look at it.”

It may be new for WADA, who are tasked with catching the wrongdoers and dopers, but it’s not some conspiracy theory. German newspaper Bild reported in January that there are “heated discussions behind the scenes” in the ski jumping community that athletes might be turning to injections before undergoing the 3D scan for their competition suit.

How does it help?

Injecting hyaluronic acid into a penis could result in increasing the size of the athlete’s package just before the 3D scanning. This way, a jumper would be able to get a larger size suit. Now, if you are wondering that even with the help of the injection, the change in size might be just a few centimetres, it’s important to note that a 2cm change in the suit size could also lead to a massive competitive advantage.

According to a study in the scientific journal Frontiers, a 2cm increase in suit size circumference increased the lift by 5% and reduced drag by 4%. Reportedly, with a 2cm size, an extra 5.8 metres in jump length can be gained.

Last year, two Olympic medallists from Norway, Marius Lindvik and Johann André Forfang, were handed a three-month suspension after it was found that their team had illegally altered the seams of their suits around the penis area during the World Ski Championships 2025.

The suspension was handed because a larger size suit reduced the descent rate due to a bigger wingspan, giving unfair advantage to the jumpers.

Norway head coach Magnus Brevik, assistant coach Thomas Lobben, and staff member Adrian Livelten were also suspended for 18 months.

Ski jumpers using injection, clay to increase penis size

According to Bild, jumpers do not want to take the risk of adjusting their suits, and have moved on to more ingenious methods like injecting penises with hyaluronic acid or putting clay inside underwear before the 3D scan that is taken from the lowest point of their genitals.

This helps athletes make their genitals larger temporarily, resulting in much bigger suits and better performance. After the 3D scan, the injection would be dissolved or removed.

Talking about the news performance-enhancing malpractices, Dr Kamran Karim of the Maria-Hilf Hospital in Germany told Bild, “It is possible to achieve a temporary, visible thickening of the penis with injections of paraffin or hyaluronic acid. However, this does not result in any lengthening. Such an injection is not medically indicated and carries risks.”

But organisers are not yet alarmed.

Oliver Niggli, the director general of the Winter Olympics 2026 organisation team, has said that he was “not aware of the details of ski jumping and how it can improve, but if anything was to come to the surface, we would look at anything if it is actually doping related.”

“We don’t do other means of enhancing performance, but our list committee would certainly look into whether this would fall into this category. But I hadn’t heard about that until you mentioned it.”

Only time will tell how many athletes inject their penises with chemicals or use clay to gain an advantage, but it’s clear that some are ready to go to ‘great lengths’ to win a medal.