Sports
Ski Jumping: WADA on lookout over alleged penis-enhancement claims
Jan 9, 2026; Livigno, ITALY; A drone view shows the big ski jump in the Livigno Snow Park, which will host all Snowboard and Freestyle Skiing events, including disciplines like Halfpipe, Slopestyle, Big Air, Ski Cross, Snowboard Cross, Moguls, Aerials, and Parallel Giant Slalom in preparation for the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games. Mandatory Credit: Yara Nardi/Reuters via Imagn Images MILAN, Feb 5 (Reuters) — Winter Olympic doping chiefs say they will be on the lookout for any evidence male ski jumpers are artificially enlarging their penises in a bid to manipulate one of the sport’s rules and gain an aerodynamic advantage.
WADA Director General Olivier Niggli, speaking at a press conference in Milan ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics, said the World Anti Doping Agency would explore whether the alleged practice constitutes doping.
Niggli was responding to questions following a report in German newspaper Bild which raised fears of some male ski jumpers attempting to manipulate the 3D body-scanning measurements used to size competition suits by temporarily enlarging their penises.
Ski jumpers undergo a full body scan to ensure their skin-tight suits do not have extra material which would give them more lift as they soar through the air. The crotch of a ski jumper’s suit is allowed to run to the bottom of the athlete’s genitals, meaning an enlarged penis would give them more potentially performance-enhancing material.
The Bild report said the newspaper had discovered insider talk of athletes injecting hyaluronic acid into their penis to alter their suit measurement point, thereby securing a larger, more aerodynamic suit for the duration of the season.
Niggli said WADA had no indication the alleged practices were taking place and stressed WADA only intervenes when a method of cheating falls within the definition of doping.
“I am not aware of the details of ski jumping and how this can improve (the performance), but if any sign was to come to the surface, we will look at it. I haven’t heard about that until you mention it,” he told reporters in Milan.
“If it is actually doping related — we don’t do other means of enhancing performance — but our committee (annually reviewing banned substances) will certainly look to whether it falls into this category,” he added.
The International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) did not respond to a request for comment.
The issue has drawn attention partly because suit manipulation has previously led to sanctions in the sport.
Two of Norway’s Olympic medalists, Marius Lindvik and Johann Andre Forfang, were suspended for three months last year after their team was found to have secretly adjusted seams around the crotch area of their suits at the 2025 World Ski Championships.
Three members of the coaching staff were also banned.
WADA President Witold Banka, asked about the reports on Thursday, responded with a smile, saying ski jumping was very popular in his native Poland and that he would look into the matter.
–Reuters, special to Field Level Media
Sports
Yankees complete season-opening, three-game sweep of Giants
Mar 28, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99) is congratulated by first baseman Ben Rice (22) after hitting a home run against the San Francisco Giants in the fifth inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images Aaron Judge homered in his second straight game and Ben Rice doubled in two runs as the visiting New York Yankees beat the San Francisco Giants 3-1 on Saturday to complete a three-game series sweep.
San Francisco put its first two batters on base in the ninth against David Bednar before Harrison Bader struck out and Patrick Bailey grounded into a double play.
Bednar recorded his second save in as many games for the Yankees, who outscored the Giants 13-1 in the series and turned four inning-ending double plays in the finale. Jake Bird (1-0), one of four New York relievers, earned the victory with 1 2/3 scoreless innings.
Rice put the Yankees ahead with a two-run double in the third inning against Tyler Mahle (0-1), who was making his Giants debut. Giancarlo Stanton followed with a single to right field, but Rice was thrown out at the plate by Heliot Ramos to end the inning.
San Francisco scored its first run of the season in the bottom of the third when Jung Hoo Lee hit a leadoff double off Will Warren and scored on Matt Chapman’s single up the middle.
Mahle allowed two runs on five hits over four innings with one walk and five strikeouts.
Ryan Borucki retired the first two batters in the fifth before Judge put the Yankees ahead 3-1 by depositing an 0-1 cutter over the left-field wall.
The Yankees turned to their bullpen after Warren gave up one run on five hits over 4 1/3 innings. He walked two and struck out three.
Bird replaced Brent Headrick in the sixth after Rafael Devers doubled to begin the inning. After Devers moved to third on Ramos’ single, Bird struck out Willy Adames and escaped the jam unscathed when Bader grounded into a double play.
The Yankees threatened with two runners on and one out in the eighth against Erik Miller, who struck out Rice before JT Brubaker entered and got Stanton to pop out to first.
San Francisco brought the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the eighth against Tim Hill when Luis Arraez singled in front of Devers, who grounded into an inning-ending double play.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Brice Turang provides lift as Brewers handle White Sox
Mar 28, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers center fielder Garrett Mitchell (5) steals second base as Chicago White Sox shortstop Luisangel Acuna (0) takes the throw in the first inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images Chad Patrick pitched effectively into the fifth inning and Brice Turang doubled twice to pace the Milwaukee Brewers past the visiting Chicago White Sox 6-1 on Saturday night for their second consecutive victory.
Aaron Ashby (1-0) got the win with 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief. Patrick allowed one run on five hits in 4 1/3 innings, striking out four and walking one. Angel Zerpa, Abner Uribe and DL Hall finished with a scoreless inning apiece.
Munetaka Murakami, who played the previous eight seasons in his native Japan before signing with Chicago, homered for the second consecutive game, a 409-foot leadoff shot in the fourth inning off Patrick to pull the White Sox within 4-1.
The Brewers, who routed Chicago 14-2 in the opener Thursday, jumped on Sean Burke (0-1) for three runs in the first. Turang doubled to open, advanced on a comebacker to the mound, and scored on Christian Yelich’s single. Jake Bauers singled Yelich to third and took second on the throw. Garrett Mitchell followed with a two-run single up the middle.
Milwaukee added an unearned run in the second when Turang blooped a two-out double inside the left field line and William Contreras walked. Yelich singled on an infield dribbler and Turang continued home on Burke’s errant throw to first.
The Brewers made it 5-1 in the sixth when David Hamilton walked with one out, stole second and scored on Brandon Lockridge’s single.
The White Sox missed an opportunity in the seventh when Colson Montgomery tried to score from first on Austin Hays’ double to left, but was thrown out at home on a perfect relay from shortstop Joey Ortiz to end the inning.
Mitchell hustled up an insurance run in the bottom half when he singled with one out, stole second, and scored on Ortiz’s single.
Burke allowed four runs, three earned, on seven hits in four innings, striking out five and walking one.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Down 6, Astros ride 8-run 6th to victory over Angels
Mar 28, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros third baseman Isaac Paredes (15) slides at home safely against Los Angeles Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe (14) in the fifth inning at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images Yainer Diaz and Jake Meyers had two RBIs each in an eight-run sixth inning for the Houston Astros, who rallied from a six-run hole to beat the visiting Los Angeles Angels 11-9 on Saturday in the finale of their three-game series.
The Astros scored all eight runs with two outs.
Isaac Paredes and Carlos Correa also had two RBIs apiece for the Astros, who avoided an 0-3 start for the second time in three seasons.
Meyers, Correa, Yordan Alvarez and Christian Walker each had two hits for Houston.
Houston starter Cristian Javier went 4 2/3 innings, allowing six runs and four hits, striking out one and walking four.
Kai-Wei Teng (1-0) threw 2 1/3 scoreless innings of relief to earn the victory.
Oswald Peraza homered and singled twice, Jorge Soler and Nolan Schanuel also homered and Mike Trout singled, walked twice and scored two runs for the Angels, who were trying to start 3-0 for the first time since winning their first five games in 2006.
Angels starter Reid Detmers brought a 6-0 lead into the fifth, but the left-hander was finished after throwing 95 pitches in 4 2/3 innings. He allowed three runs and six hits with nine strikeouts and no walks in his return to a starting role after serving as a reliever all of last season.
Rookie right-hander Walbert Urena (0-1) relieved Detmers after a two-run double by Paredes cut it to 6-2 with two outs in the fifth. Urena quickly surrendered an RBI single to Correa that cut it to 6-3.
Urena was close to escaping the sixth before a wild pitch brought home the first run. Correa later came up with the bases loaded and and hit a slow roller in front of the plate that catcher Logan O’Hoppe threw away for a two-run error, tying the score.
Walker then lined a single up the middle of Peraza’s glove to give Houston its first lead of the series at 7-6, chasing Urena.
Diaz hit a slow roller into right field off Joey Lucchesi that scored two more, and Meyers followed with a two-run double over the head of leaping right fielder Jo Adell to stretch Houston’s lead to 11-6.
Schanuel blasted a three-run homer with two outs in the ninth off Houston closer Bryan Abreu to cut it to 11-9.
Peraza homered with two outs in the third to give the Angels a 1-0 lead, and Soler blasted a two-run homer in the fourth to make it 3-0.
The Angels scored three more runs in the fifth on an RBI single by Trout, a run-scoring double play and a wild pitch.
–Field Level Media
Yankees complete season-opening, three-game sweep of Giants
Brice Turang provides lift as Brewers handle White Sox
