The 2026 Olympic Winter Games have kicked off with a flurry of rumors suggesting that some male ski jumpers may be using fillers to gain a competitive edge. The speculation claims that by enlarging their bulges for a required 3D body scan, athletes could receive extra centimeters of material in their jumpsuits, potentially increasing surface area and offering greater lift during jumps.
Interestingly, a 2025 study published in Frontiers in Sports and Active Living indicated that an additional 2 cm of fabric could increase drag by 4% and lift by 5%, potentially adding 5.8 meters to a ski jump. This has sent shockwaves through the ski jumping community, already reeling from past scandals. Last year, Norwegian Olympic medalists Marius Lindvik and Johann Andre Forfang, alongside three team officials, faced cheating charges for allegedly modifying jumpsuits. They received suspensions ranging from three to eighteen months.
The latest rumors about filler injections first emerged in January when Bild, a German newspaper, reported whispers of athletes using substances like hyaluronic acid or paraffin. Dr. Kamran Karim, from Maria-Hilf Hospital in Germany, was quoted saying that while such injections might create a temporary optical thickening, they come with medical risks and are not recommended.
During a recent press conference, journalists asked the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) about these injection claims. Though the agency stated such practices are beyond their scope unless related to doping, WADA President Witold Banka humorously acknowledged the popularity of ski jumping in his native Poland and vowed to look into the situation.