Now the International Ski and Snowboard Federation has dismissed it all as a ‘wild rumor.’
The discussion first surfaced in the Bild, a German newspaper, that reported ski jumpers allegedly get penile-enlarging injections of hyaluronic acid to increase the size of their suit and, as a result, the distance of their jumps.
The matter escalated when the World Anti-Doping Agency said it would investigate if there were evidence to support the claims. But the International Ski and Snowboard Federation largely rejected that possibility in an email sent from the federation’s communications director, Bruno Sassi.
“As for the hyaluronic acid claims: this wild rumor started off a few weeks ago from pure hearsay,’ Sassi wrote in an email to USA TODAY Sports. ‘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 sport still is reeling from a verifiable scandal. The head coach and assistant coach of the Norway men’s team were suspended for 18 months for their role in manipulating jumpers’ suits at the Nordic World Ski Championships in March. Two ski jumpers implicated in the matter each accepted a three-month suspension.
The manipulation of the suits involved the seams of the crotch area, according to the Associated Press.
Sassi said 3D scans have been introduced as a step to combat ‘the intentional lowering of the crotch measurement to gain advantage over opponents.’
‘That is because in Ski Jumping, the main benefit that can be obtained through equipment manipulation is to enhance aerodynamics,’ he wrote of increasing the surface of the jumping suit that is in contact with the air midflight. ‘Even a few millimeters can make a substantial difference in the length of a jump. For that purpose, one of the most critical parts of the Ski Jumping suit is the crotch area ― it is the area of which scrutiny from teams, athletes, and equipment controllers is the highest.’
The athletes’ body measurements are taken by the federation once a year, and the data gives officials the ability to ensure the proper-sized suits are being worn rather than larger-sized suits that in violation of the rules could increase jumping distance.
The aerodynamics of ski jumping
Christopher Roy, a professor and aerodynamics expert at Virginia Tech, told USA TODAY Sports he thinks penile injections could lead to increased jumping distance.
Based purely on aerodynamics, he stressed.
‘In ski jumping, basically the main goal is maximize your lift while minimizing your drag,’ Roy said. ‘And if you can do that, that just equates to going farther. In terms of the ski jump, from what I understand for this question about the penile injections thing, it’s very much akin to the recent scandal from the Norwegians about modifying the suits.’
Comparing Norwegian suit modification to the alleged use of penile-enlargement injections, Roy cited both as attempts to increase the surface area of the suit.
And of the alleged injections, he said, ‘It probably wouldn’t take much surface area to equate to another meter or two in terms of the distance of the jump.’
However, Roy noted a significant caveat with the injections.
‘I don’t know how to put this delicately,’ he said. ‘If it’s creating a bulge in the crotch area, that would actually have a very detrimental effect. But if it somehow increases the surface area while maintaining a smooth aerodynamic shape on the body, then that could have an (advantageous) effect.’
An Olympian weighs in
Casey Larson, a two-time Olympic ski jumper, sounded equal parts frustrated and intrigued by rumors of the penile injections.
Frustrated because he thinks it’ll cost the sport young jumpers whose parents might worry about the rumors.
‘It’s super addicting, flying through the air like a squirrel,’ said Larson, who competed in the 2018 Olympics and 2022 Olympics before becoming a coach in Park City, Utah. ‘And I don’t want that to get lost on some dumb scandal that, really at the end of the day, I don’t even know if it’s real.’
At the same time, Larson compared ski jumping to Formula One racing and the constant fine tuning of equipment, which includes the suit. In some cases, he said, resources separate the best jumpers from the rest as they all hunt for ways to increase their jump distance.
But going to the lengths to penile injections? For someone who would have done anything to have a gold medal hanging around his neck, Larson said, he couldn’t rule out sticking ‘a needle down there’ had he known about the procedure before he retired.
‘It’ll make you a better skier,’ he said. ‘It will allow you to fly farther. Big suits help you fly and make you feel like a flying squirrel.’