According to the plastic surgeon, the ski jumper wanted to enlarge his penis to avoid embarrassment in the locker room after the competition.
A plastic surgeon says he enlarged a ski jumper’s penis ahead of the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics. The story was first reported by the American newspaper USA Today.
“I treated an athlete from that sport, whose name and nationality I will of course not disclose. I will also not reveal whether he is competing in these Olympics,” plastic surgeon Alessandro Littara said in an email to the media.
According to Littara, the ski jumper wanted the procedure in order to avoid embarrassment in the locker room after the event.
“I don’t know if he told me the whole truth. In any case, we did a good job and used more than a generous amount of hyaluronic acid,” Littara said.
Despite its name, hyaluronic acid is not actually an acid but a sugar molecule. It occurs naturally in the skin and elsewhere in the body. Hyaluronic acid binds moisture, which plumps and lifts the skin. In cosmetics, it is commonly used to smooth wrinkles and fine lines.
According to the plastic surgeon, the effects of the substance are immediate. He states that an athlete can wear a larger suit just minutes after the procedure. Littara says he has performed more than 3,000 penile enlargement procedures using hyaluronic acid.
Anti-doping agency investigating
Before the start of the Olympics, it was reported that the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is investigating whether ski jumpers have injected hyaluronic acid into their penises to gain a competitive advantage. The matter was reported by German newspaper Bild and British newspaper The Guardian, among others.
Ski jumpers have their suits tailored to their bodies, and the measurements include crotch height. This is determined using a body scanner approved by the International Ski Federation (FIS) in the presence of a doctor.
The overall size of the suit can affect the lift generated for the jumper and, consequently, the length of the jump.
Research has shown that a two-centimeter increase in a suit’s circumference increases air resistance by four percent and lift by five percent. A two-centimeter change in the suit would translate into an average of 5.8 meters of additional jump distance. By enlarging his penis, an athlete could potentially qualify for a larger ski suit than he would otherwise be permitted.
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