It’s hardly the first scandal to hit the Winter Olympics, but it’s probably the weirdest. Reports came out earlier this week that a new trick was being used by male Ski Jump athletes to improve their chances. Before explaining what that is, it’s important to explain that the outfit Ski Jumpers wear is incredibly important. Any loose fabric could potentially add drag as they fly through the air, which means higher jumps, which is an unfair advantage. To prevent that, part of the preparation is ensuring that their outfits are skintight to a tolerance of 2-4cm in EVERY part of the outfit.
You can probably guess where this is going.
Yes, ALLEGEDLY, there were athletes injecting themselves with hyaluronic acid below the belt for a temporary boost to “size” that would mean their uniform would have a few extra cm loose in the groin area. Yeah.
Of course, there’s no confirmation that this did occur, or any ongoing investigations against any athletes under suspicion of it, but the World Anti-Doping Agency has acknowledged the rumours and suggested they would investigate if any evidence did come out. Which, yes, does mean that part of the anti-doping checks for the next Winter Olympics could be additional crotch analysis. Hilarious.
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