Are Olympic Ski Jumpers Injecting Hyaluronic Acid Into Their Genitals?

As the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics continue in Italy, people are asking about the sport of ski jumping. A strange rumor that athletes are injecting themselves with hyaluronic acid is making the rounds after members of the Norwegian Olympic ski jumping team were caught cheating, per Yahoo! Sports. Footage was taken of Adrian Livelten, Norway's suit technician, altering suits that had already passed inspectionat the 2025 Nordic World Ski Championships in March of 2025.

It was found that a stiffer, non-elastic thread was sewn into the suits that pulled the crotch area down during an athlete's flight in the air, which increases the surface area and gives more aerodynamic lift.

The cheating scandal highlighted the sport as the 2026 Winter Olympics got started, and Finnish coach Petter Kukkonen once called ski jumping a sport with a "culture of cheating." So, what's the deal with hyaluronic acid? Are the athletes really injecting themselves in their genitals?

No, ski jumpers are not injecting hyaluronic acid into their genitals, or at least they haven't been caught doing so. According to the BBC, a rumor that male ski jumpers were injecting their penises to enhance performance is untrue. Bruno Sassi, the director of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS), said there was no evidence to suggest the athletes were injecting themselves with hyaluronic acid.

"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," he said.

Hyaluronic acid is reportedly used to increase the circumference of the penis by one or two centimetres, which would also increase the surface area of the suits, leading to an increase in their flight in the air.

Crotchgate is the name being given to the scandal after the Norwegian athletes were caught having their uniforms altered in the crotch area, per USA Today. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) will reportedly investigate if need be, according to WADA director Oliver Niggli.

"I’m not aware of the details of ski jumping and how it can improve," he said. "But if anything was to come to the surface, we would look at anything if it is actually doping-related."

Microchips that are tamper-proof were added to ski jumping suits in the 2024–25 season, per People, and they can scan the uniforms for exact measurements to determine if additional fabric was added. However, the chips aren't yet placed in the suits' crotch area. A 3D scan is also used to "identify and/or prevent possible manipulations or violations."

American former ski jumper Johnny Spillane said he is shocked by the crotchgate scandal.

"Probably the most shocking part was that it was Norway," he said. "Because they’ve always been considered one of the more standup teams. Everyone is going to push the limits. That hasn't changed, and that probably will never change, but this was deliberately altering a suit after it had been tested in order to cheat. This was the most blatant cheating I've heard of."