World Anti-Doping Agency chief Olivier Niggli weighs in as Milano Cortina Winter Olympics rocked by ski-jumping suit controversy
Published 05/02/2026 at 19:28 GMT
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Olivier Niggli, the director general of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), has addressed claims concerning the manipulation of ski jumping suits at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. A report from German publication BILD in January said ski jumpers were seeking gains over their rivals by increasing the crotch size of their suits by injecting hyaluronic acid into their penis.
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World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) director general Olivier Niggli said the regulatory body is prepared to investigate claims of ski-jumping suit manipulation, should evidence come to light.
The claims originated from German publication Bild in early January, a month ahead of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.
The outlet reported that ski jumpers were injecting their penises with hyaluronic acid - which is not specifically outlined on WADA's prohibited list, and is a naturally occurring sugar in the human body which can be used to increase the circumference of a penis by one or two centimetres.
The report claimed that jumpers were performing this procedure before being measured for their suits, thus increasing the crotch side.
International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) ski jumping men's director Sandro Pertile explained in November 2024: "Every extra centimeter on a suit counts. If your suit has a 5% bigger surface area, you fly further. Of course, this is a competitive sport and everyone’s on the limit with the rules because everyone wants to win."
When asked about the recent claims of suit manipulation at a press conference, WADA director Niggli said: "I am not aware of the details of ski jumping, and how that could improve performance.
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"If anything was to come to the surface, we would look at it and see if it is doping related. We don't address other [non-doping] means of enhancing performance."
Ski jumping has previously been the subject of kit-related controversy. In August last year, Beijing 2022 long hill champion Marius Lindvik and PyeongChang 2018 team gold medallist Johann Andre Forfang - both representing Norway - were charged by the FIS alongside three members of staff following allegations of "illegal equipment manipulation" at the World Ski Championships in Trondheim.
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Lindvik and Forfang accepted three-month suspensions, meaning they are able to compete in Milano Cortina, and were not charged with having "actual knowledge" of the rule breaches.
The impact of the incident was significant, as subsequent rule changes regarding suits were introduced as a result, which led to several ski jumpers being disqualified from the Grand Prix event in France last year. The FIS acknowledged at the time there was no "ill intent" from the relevant teams.
The men's normal hill event takes place on Monday, February 9, with the long hill event on Saturday, February 14 - live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
How to watch the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026
TNT Sports and discovery+ will be the go-to destination in the UK to watch all of Milano Cortina 2026 live, with more than 850 hours of action from every sport, venue and medal event.
Coverage will be made available to the widest audience ever, with discovery+ customers across all plans - starting at £3.99/month in the UK and €4.99/month in Ireland - able to access comprehensive live coverage with 24/7 coverage available through TNT Sports 2 and a selection of live event feeds.
TNT Sports 2 will serve as the primary Olympic destination, offering more than 200 hours of live event coverage, studio programming, replays and highlights, delivering round-the-clock storytelling from Milano Cortina across all 17 days of competition.
WBD’s coverage of the Winter Olympic Games Milano Cortina 2026 begins on Wednesday, February 4 ahead of the Opening Ceremony at the iconic San Siro stadium on Friday 6 February, running until the Closing Ceremony on Sunday, February 22.
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