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

Nikola Vucevic could make his debut with the Boston Celtics when they take on the visiting Miami Heat on Friday night.

Boston acquired Vucevic, 35, in a trade with the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday. The Celtics gave up guard Anfernee Simons and a 2026 second-round draft pick in the deal. Boston also received a future second-round pick.

Vucevic, a 6-foot-9 center, is averaging 16.9 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game in 48 games this season, but he hasn’t been as effective at the defensive end of the court.

“I know some of the limitations I have,” Vucevic told The Athletic. “I’m aware of them.”

Neemias Queta has been Boston’s starting center this season. The Celtics have also used center Luka Garza, whose skillset is similar to what Vucevic brings.

Queta and Garza both started in Wednesday’s 114-93 road victory over Houston. Queta finished with 10 points, 19 rebounds and five blocks in the win. Garza, who made his second start of the season, added 19 points and six rebounds.

“It just helped us on multiple fronts,” Boston coach Joe Mazzulla said when he was asked about the double-big lineup. “It helped us defensively. It helped us offensively with matchup recognition. We were able to kind of be in our matchups because of that. I thought those guys did a great job. I thought Luka and Neemi were great. Neemi was kind of the best version of him.”

The Celtics also reportedly made two minor moves Thursday. Boston sent Chris Boucher to Utah, and traded Josh Minott to Brooklyn. Like Vucevic, Boucher is in the final year of his contract.

The Heat will be looking to end Boston’s four-game winning streak Friday.

“We’re just going to forge ahead until we conquer it,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said. “It’s disappointing. I see the potential with our team. I really do.

“That ability to sustain — get a quality win and then do it again. Then rinse and repeat. That’s what all the very good teams are able to do. They’re just more consistent.”

The Heat didn’t have Andrew Wiggins (left hamstring tightness) for Tuesday’s 127-115 home loss to Atlanta. Norman Powell (personal reasons) and Tyler Herro (ribs) also did not play against the Hawks. Powell has missed Miami’s last three games and Herro hasn’t played in the last 11.

Herro didn’t make the two-game trip that includes Sunday’s game against the Washington Wizards. Wiggins and Powell will likely be back against the Celtics.

“Whoever we got out there, we take the approach we always have what it takes to win,” Miami’s Jaime Jaquez Jr. said. “Obviously, guys are dealing with things. We want them to get better, get all the rest they can so they’re healthy when they come back to us. Until then, we’re gonna try to hold it down as best we can.”

Atlanta made 21 of 50 3-point attempts Tuesday. Chicago also made 20 of 40 shots from beyond the 3-point arc in a 125-118 win over Miami on Saturday, one day before the Bulls shot 14.6% on 3-point attempts (6 of 41) in a 134-91 loss to the Heat.

“We just couldn’t get it done defensively (against Atlanta),” Jaquez said. “They lit us up from 3 — something that’s kind of been a theme for us the last couple (losses).”

–Field Level Media

CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — Italy’s Olympic title defense got off to a mixed start at the Milano Cortina Games on Thursday, as the mixed doubles curling champions beat South Korea before suffering their first defeat in major competition at the hands of Canada.

The Italian pairing of Stefania Constantini and Amos Mosaner, who are also the world champions, cruised to an 8-4 victory over Koreans Jeong Yeong-seok and Kim Seon-yeong in the morning session.

However, a poor start in their game against Canada’s Brett Gallant and Jocelyn Peterman ended their record, after they had made it through the only two competitions they played together — the 2022 Olympics and the 2025 World Championships — undefeated.

An inch-perfect play from Peterman left the Italians trailing 5-0 after the first end and the home favorites quickly unraveled, with Mosaner missing a string of shots as they reached the halfway mark trailing 6-2.

That deficit proved too much for Italy, who eventually conceded at 7-2.

“It went terrible in the first end for me. We gave up five in the first end, but I have to accept I missed the shots and they played better. We have to accept the loss and we try to start better tomorrow,” Mosaner said.

The Canadians, making their mixed doubles debut at the Games, produced an impressive display on Thursday as they also beat Norway’s two-time Olympic medalists Kristin Skaslien and Magnus Nedregotten in the afternoon session.

Asked how it felt to end Italy’s unbeaten record, Gallant said: “It feels great, obviously. Going into that game, you really only have one option, you have to play really well because they’re such a strong team.

“Defending world champs, defending Olympic champs. You have to get off to a great start, play really well. I’m just proud that we were able to execute that plan tonight.”

Canada’s win moved them level at 3-0 with Great Britain’s Jennifer Dodds and Bruce Mouat, who beat the Czech Republic and Estonia on Thursday.

Switzerland (2-1) and the United States (2-0) occupy the remaining two playoff spots.

American curlers Korey Dropkin and Corey Thiesse, world champions in 2023, prevailed 8-6 over Norway’s Skaslien and Nedregottenand later beat Switzerland 7-4.

The Norwegian duo was leading for a large part of the contest, before their opponents flipped the script in the final end.

“We struggled early on with our draw weight and had a really good fourth end break, refocused, talked about the different speeds and the different paths, and just wanting to communicate that more out on the ice,” Thiesse said.

In the evening session, Estonia’s Marie Kaldvee and Harri Lill claimed their country’s first ever curling victory at the Olympics in any category, beating Sweden’s brother-sister duo of Isabella and Rasmus Wrana 7-5.

Teams play nine matches in the round-robin stage, which continues on Friday at the Cortina Olympic Curling Centre, with the top four advancing to the semi-finals next week.

–Reuters, special to Field Level Media