New measures to crack down on the alleged penis enlargement scandal that has engulfed the Winter Olympics have come to light, including new 3D scans of an athlete’s crotch area.
On Thursday, a saga known as ‘penis-gate’ took a surreal hold on the Games in Milan-Cortina, with unsubstantiated claims emerging that male ski jumpers have resorted to injecting hyaluronic acid into their genitals to gain a competitive advantage.
Ahead of this season and the Olympics, skiers were required to have their bodies measured using a 3D scanner.
When undergoing the scan, athletes must only wear ‘body-tight underwear’, as their crotch height is also measured to determine the size of their competitive suit. This is to ensure suits have a tolerance of only two to four centimetres, plus an additional three centimetres for a male’s crotch height.
This is to prevent athletes from tampering with their suits to gain an advantage. Scientific studies suggest that any increase in the surface area of a skinsuit can effectively turn the jumper into a human glider. The bigger the bulge, the further they fly.
A study in the journal, Frontiers, established that every two centimetres in suit circumference reduced drag by four per cent and increased lift by five per cent – equivalent to an extra 5.8 metres in jump length.
Hyaluronic acid, when injected into a male appendage, can increase the circumference of the penis by one to two centimetres. Usage would allow male ski jumpers to wear larger suits, which would improve their aerodynamics.
The new measures brought in by the FIS ahead of the Games to crack down on the supposed issue include tamper-proof microchips, and competitors will have to pass through control checkpoints prior to competing.
The new measures have been brought in after the original ‘penis-gate’ scandal that rocked the ski jumping world last year.
At the world championships in March 2025, it emerged that the Norwegian team had adjusted the seams around the crotch of their suits in order to gain an advantage over their rivals.
Magnus Brevik, their head coach, his assistant coach Thomas Lobben and another staff member, Adrian Livelten, were handed 18-month bans in the fallout.
The defending Olympic ski jump champion Marius Lindvik and Johann Andre Forfang were also suspended for three months, though it was found that the athletes were not aware of the plot.
The Norwegian pair are set to compete at the Olympics in Italy, with the ski jumping competition beginning on Monday.
If their suits are found to have been tampered with, they will be subject to the new penalty system introduced last year.
How far should athletes be allowed to alter their bodies for a competitive edge?
Comment now Those penalties include a yellow and red card policy for equipment violations, similar to the penalty system in soccer. A yellow card is a warning and a red card means disqualification.
The World Anti-Doping Agency will investigate the penis enlargement scandal, but were unaware of the claims made by German newspaper Bild in January prior to the Games.
Asked specifically about the use of hyaluronic acid, and whether that might trigger a probe, Olivier Niggli, the director general of WADA, said: ‘I’m not aware of the details of ski jumping – and how this 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.’
To Niggli’s side, the WADA president Witold Banka, formerly the Polish minister of sport and tourism, added: ‘Ski jumping is very popular in Poland so I promise you I’m going to look at it.’
