A wider suit helps a ski jumper fly further, but the size of the suit is strictly regulated. The size of the competition suit must be individually adapted to the body of each ski jumper and body scans are carried out to check compliance with the rules.
In practice, the rules of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation FI stipulate that men’s suits must be tight in the crotch. Cheating on costumes occurred several times and, for example, two Norwegian jumpers were banned during the 2025 World Championships in Norway because they competed in unauthorized costumes.
Early January The German newspaper Bild published an article explaining that ski jumpers had used hyaluronic acid to enlarge their genitals so they could compete in a larger suit.
It was a topic of conversation before the Olympics, although many dismissed the whole thing as a rumor.
“This wild rumor began a few weeks ago purely from hearsay. There has never been any indication or evidence that any participant ever used an injection of hyaluronic acid to gain an athletic advantage,” FI Communications Director Bruno Sassi wrote in an email to USA Today.
An Italian plastic surgeon now tells USA Today that he helped a ski jumper enlarge his penis in January with a “generous dose of hyaluronic acid.”
“I have actually treated an athlete from this sport, whose name and nationality I will not reveal, nor whether he is participating in these Olympics,” surgeon Alessandro Littara wrote to USA Today via email.
Littara tells us that the back jumper said he wanted to have the surgery for appearance reasons.
The American newspaper spoke to the three male back jumpers representing the United States at the Olympics. They say they no longer use injections to be able to jump.
– It’s hard to say if this has already happened or if people are doing it, says 19-year-old Olympic debutant Jason Colby, continuing:
– And I think that scientifically it can work. But who knows what other teams are doing behind closed doors.
About the 3D technology that is used to counter rule violations, FI communications director Bruno Sassi writes to USA Today:
“The main goal is to detect and/or prevent possible manipulations or rule violations of the equipment – in particular the intentional lowering of the stride to gain an advantage over opponents.”
Read more:
Naked checks and red cards as sport seeks redemption after scandal
