Former Olympic ski jumper Johan Remen Evensen has accused the Austrian team of "deliberate cheating" at the 2026 Winter Games. It comes after Austrian athlete Daniel Tschofenig was disqualified following his first jump in the men's large hill event, for having boots that were four millimetres larger than the permitted size.

Tschofenig blamed his disqualification on a "naive" mistake, but Evensen, who won a bronze medal at the 2010 Vancouver Games, believes it was much more sinister. He thinks that it was a deliberate play by Tschofenig and the Austrian team, claiming they were trying "every trick in the book" to gain an advantage.

Commenting on the incident, Evensen said: "Being disqualified for wearing shoes that are too big is a clear violation of the rules. It's obvious that the Austrians are desperate and are trying every trick in the book. Rules are rules. As long as they are enforced for everyone, that's fine."

After scoring 137.7 in the opening round, Evensen was informed of his disqualification, with Slovakia's Hektor Kapustik replacing him. Evensen and the Norwegian team have maintained their innocence, insisting it was nothing more than a lapse of judgment.

The 2025 World Cup champion said: "I used new shoes in training which, by the way, I wasn't very happy with, but I kept them. 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."

Ensure our latest sport headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as a Preferred Source in your Google search settings.

Conversations surrounding equipment alterations have dominated the ski jumping programme at the Milano-Cortina Games, after suggestions that male athletes had been injecting their penises with hyaluronic acid. It's said that a larger bulge would lead to a bigger suit, which in turn can help with aerodynamics.

The saga was once again in the headlines this week, after an American doctor claimed he'd performed the surgery on a ski jumper. They said: "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. However, I can say that I treated him last month and used a generous dose of hyaluronic acid."

The World Anti-Doping Agency said before the Games got underway that they weren't aware of any instances of competitors undergoing this, but would act accordingly if it came to light.

EXPRESS SPORT ON FB! Get all the best sports news and much more on our Facebook page