Winter Olympics: Ski Jumper Oversized Boots
By Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw
The Austrian ski jumper, Daniel Tschofenig, who is 23 years old, has been disqualified from the men's large hill individual event for wearing oversized boots.
Tschofenig, who is the 2025 World Cup champion, was found to be wearing boots that were four millimetres larger than the rules permitted.
He remarked:
"I used new shoes in training which, by the way, I wasn't very happy with, but I kept them."
And added:
"Unfortunately, I was naive and didn't measure it. Extremely stupid of me, there was just so much stress going on. But rules are rules."
This disqualification comes after reports suggested that male ski jumpers were injecting their penises with hyaluronic acid, before being measured for their suits, with a view to improving sporting performance.
Also, on 15 February 2026, the American ski jumper, Annika Belshaw, who is also 23 years old, was disqualified from the women's large hill individual event, because her skis were more than one centimetre too long.
Belshaw, like Tschofenig, had qualified for the final but was unable to participate.
Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw may be contacted by e-mail at ‘
