It’s not unusual for athletes to spare no effort to put themselves into position to win, but this might be taking it a bit too far.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has confirmed that it is investigating allegations that male ski jumpers at this year’s Winter Olympics in Italy might have injected hyaluronic acid into their penises in hopes of gaining a competitive advantage.
How might that help an athlete in a ski jump contest?
According to the German publication, Bild, which first reported the controversy in January, suggests athletes are artificially enlarging their penises before official body measurements to obtain larger competition suits.
Apparently, a larger suit size can greatly improve a ski jumper’s performance.
As GB News reports, “Research published in the scientific journal Frontiers demonstrated that a mere two-centimetre increase in suit circumference reduces drag by four per cent whilst boosting lift by five per cent.
“Such modifications translate to approximately 5.8 additional metres in jump distance.”
WADA’s Director General, Olivier Niggli, confirmed his agency’s determination to investigate the claims, even if he is unfamiliar with how an enhanced groin area can benefit a ski jumper.
“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,” Niggli stated.
The answer to that comes from FIS ski jumping men’s race director Sandro Pertile, who states, “Every extra centimetre on a suit counts. If your suit has a 5 per cent bigger surface area, you fly further.”
It is unclear what the investigation will yield, given that hyaluronic acid is currently a legal substance.
