At least three athletes have been disqualified during the Olympic Games in Milan because their gear contained banned “forever chemicals.”
South Korean cross-country skiers Lee Eui-jin and Han Da-som were disqualified last week because they “used fluorinated wax products,” according to the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS). Japanese snowboarder Masaki Shiba was also disqualified after his board tested positive for PFAS, The New York Times reported.
It’s the first winter Olympics held since the FIS banned ski and snowboard wax containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, a class of thousands of chemicals widely used for their nonstick properties made notorious due to mounting evidence linking compounds to lifelong illnesses, including cancer.
“Fluorinated wax can be a competitive advantage and its use in competition will result in disqualification,” according to the May 2025 FIS international ski and snowboard competition rules.
