The Wildest, Most Shocking Controversies Happening at the 2026 Winter Olympics, So Far

NEED TO KNOW

• The 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics kicked off on Feb. 6
• Since then, multiple controversies have dominated news coverage of the global sporting event
• Some athletes have competed amid scrutiny, while others have been disqualified for violating the IOC’s no-politics policy

Drama has dominated the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics almost as much as the athletic feats.

More than 3,500 athletes from 93 nations began competing for gold on Feb. 6. While the Games have delivered standout performances — including U.S. speedskater Jordan Stolz's record-breaking win in the men’s 1,000-meter event — a series of high-profile incidents shifted attention beyond the competition.

A month before the global event even began, German newspaper Bild reported that some of the top male ski jumpers were injecting their crotches with hyaluronic acid to improve aerodynamics, per ESPN. While the rumor turned out to be untrue, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) was prepared to investigate further.

That controversy was soon overshadowed when Norwegian biathlete Sturla Holm Lægreid confessed to cheating on his ex-girlfriend during a live, televised interview.

From “crotch filler” and live cheating admissions to past allegations and disqualifications, here are all the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics controversies, so far.

Sturla Holm Lægreid admitted to an affair after winning a bronze medal 

After Lægreid took home the bronze medal for the men's 20km biathlon on Feb. 10, he confessed to cheating on his ex-girlfriend in a live, televised interview with NRK. He called the affair "the biggest mistake of my life," per a translation provided by E! News, and that he came out about his infidelity a week prior.

"There is someone I wanted to share this with who might not be watching today," Lægreid said in the emotional post-victory interview. "I try to be a good role model, and I did something stupid. You have to admit when you do something you can’t stand for and hurt someone you love so much."

A day after his confession, his ex-girlfriend, who remained anonymous, told Norwegian outlet VG that she was hurt to be "put in this position" and that the athlete's affair was "hard to forgive, even after a declaration of love in front of the whole world."

Lægreid later told NPK that he "deeply" regretted sharing his story and putting his ex in the spotlight, per the Associated Press.

A Finnish ski jump coach was sent home for alcohol use 

On Feb. 12, Finland's ski jumping coach, Igor Medved, was forced to leave the Games after violating team conduct rules regarding alcohol. Janne Hanninen, head of the Finnish team, said in a statement to ESPN that "the matter concerns issues related to alcohol use."

"I made a mistake and I am very sorry," the coach said in a statement. "I want to apologize to the entire Finnish team, the athletes and also the fans."

A skeleton competitor was disqualified for wearing a helmet honoring Ukrainian war victims 

Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych was banned from competing in the 2026 Winter Olympics after he refused to comply with the International Olympic Committee (IOC)'s policy that prohibits political statements on the competition field. The disqualification was regarding his helmet, which depicted Ukrainian athletes killed in Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"We have members of Olympic family, part of Olympic movement, and they don't even want to honor them," he told reporters in February 2026.

The IOC offered to let the racer wear a black armband honoring the victims instead, but he said he would wear the helmet anyway in defiance of the IOC. However, he never had a chance to as Heraskevych's disqualification was announced on Feb. 12, before he could compete.

Julia Simon’s Olympic win resurfaced a past credit card fraud conviction

French biathlete Julia Simons took home her second gold medal at the 2026 Winter Games — marking a massive return from when she was briefly banned from the sport in October 2025.

According to The Guardian, the athlete was convicted of theft and credit card fraud after making over $2,000 in purchases using her teammate Justine Braisaz-Bouchet and a French Skiing Federation staff member's bank cards. She claimed during a hearing that she didn't remember the incident.

In addition to a three-month suspended prison sentence and a $17,820 fine, Simons was also banned from her sport for six months. Five of those months were later suspended, per ESPN, allowing her to compete in the 2026 Games.

The French ice dancers faced scrutiny over allegations involving former partners

Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron's journey to winning the gold medal in ice dancing was nearly overshadowed by controversy regarding their former partners. In 2024, Fournier Beaudry's partner and boyfriend, Nikolaj Sorensen, was suspended from the sport over allegations of sexual assault, which he denied, per Reuters.

The claims ended his career and led her to start skating with Olympic gold medalist Cizeron in 2025. However, his former partner, Gabriella Papadakis, accused him of being "controlling" and "demanding" in her 2026 memoir, So as Not to Disappear. The skater denied the claims in a statement to Reuters.

Sorensen's initial six-year suspension by the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada was eventually overturned, and his alleged victim later criticized Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron for how they handled the accusation.

"The comments of the reigning Olympic champion and a team in contention for the upcoming Olympic title carry weight," the victim, who remained anonymous, said in a statement sent to sports reporter Christine Brennan, shared on X in February 2026. "Using their voices to publicly undermine a survivor's truths further enforces the culture of silence in figure skating."

Fournier Beaudry did not address the comments when asked by Brennan for her response, saying that she and Cizeron "have no thoughts" and are "focused on the Olympics," per a post the reporter shared on X.

Male ski jumpers were wrongly accused of using “crotch filler” to increase their distance in the air

In January 2026, Bild reported on rumors that male Olympic ski jumpers were injecting hyaluronic acid into their crotches to warrant a bigger ski suit. A larger suit would allegedly improve their aerodynamics, ESPN reported.

Following the accusations, the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) told PEOPLE that while the claims appeared to be untrue, they were ready to investigate if needed.

Bruno Sassi, communications director for the FIS, said that the "wild rumor" began "a few weeks ago from pure hearsay." He added that there's "been no indication, let alone evidence, that any competitor has ever made use of a hyaluronic acid injection to attempt to gain a competitive advantage."

However, this isn't the first time allegations of suit manipulation have surfaced in the sport. That same month, the Associated Press reported that three officials and two athletes — including Olympic gold medalists Johann André Forfang and Marius Lindvik, who claimed to not be aware of the changes — from Norway were suspended for tearing apart and restitching the crotch area of their suits to improve distance.

However, Forfang and Lindvik's suspensions will begin in August, allowing them to compete in the Winter Olympics.

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