MILAN — A plastic surgeon renowned for penis-enlarging procedures, including the injection of hyaluronic acid, says he provided the service last month to a ski jumper.
The assertion comes with the ski jumping competition at the 2026 Winter Olympics under an unusual spotlight.
Reports from a German media outlet prompted speculation that ski jumpers are getting genital-enlarging injections to increase the surface area of their suits, which would increase the distance of their jumps. The International Ski and Snowboard Federation called it "wild rumor." And the World Anti-Doping Agency said it would investigate to see if there is any evidence to back up the claim and whether it constitutes doping.
"Regarding the news in question, I did in fact treat an athlete from that sport, whose name and nationality I will obviously not disclose, nor whether he is participating in these Olympics," Alessandro Littara told USA TODAY Sports in an email. "However, I can say that I treated him last month and used a generous dose of hyaluronic acid."
Littara said the ski jumper told him he was wanting the procedure to avoid embarrassment in the changing room after competition.
