WADA on alert for ski jumpers' alleged use of penis injections to gain edge

Amid reports that ski jumpers could inject their penises with hyaluronic acid in order to gain a competitive advantage at the Winter Olympics, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said it's prepared to investigate if presented with evidence.

German newspaper BILD reported in January that there's been talk within the ski jumping community about the practice, which aims to manipulate the suit-fitting process.

"I'm 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," Olivier Niggli, director general of WADA, said at a press conference Thursday, according to Philip Buckingham of The Athletic.

When asked about the alleged injections, Niggli answered: "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 haven't heard about that until you mentioned."

The sport's governing body, the International Ski and Snowboard Federation, dismissed the matter as a "wild rumor," according to the CBC.

Elite ski jumpers undergo full-body 3D scans for suit fittings, and temporary penile enlargements at the time of the measurements would allow male athletes to come away with bigger suits that have extra material.

The looser outfits would help them fly greater distances, with the extra material creating more lift.

Frontiers, a scientific journal, published research in October that said a 2 cm difference in suit size could yield an additional 5.8 meters in jump length.

No specific ski jumper has been accused of using the injections.

WADA is most closely associated with enforcing rules related to performance-enhancing drugs and doping, but it also has the power to ban substances that run afoul of the "spirit" of sport and competition.

Ski jumping has come under increased scrutiny ahead of the Milan Cortina Games after a scandal rocked the powerful and widely respected Norwegian team last year. Three team officials were handed 18-month bans in January after secretly filmed footage caught them restitching suits to make them more aerodynamic ahead of the World Championship in Trondheim, Norway.

Two athletes involved in the case - Olympic medalists Johann Andre Forfang and Marius Lindvik - accepted three-month suspensions last year and will compete at the Games in Italy.