Olympics Enforces PFAS Ski Wax Ban After First Disqualifications

Heading into the Milan Cortina Winter Games, skiers and snowboarders were already adapting to a new rule: no fluorinated “fast” wax. Now officials have actually enforced it, and three athletes have paid the price.

According to Tik Root at Grist, two South Korean cross country skiers were disqualified from a women’s sprint after routine checks found banned compounds on their skis. A day earlier, a Japanese snowboarder was also disqualified from a parallel giant slalom for the same reason.

For decades, fluorocarbon waxes helped equipment repel moisture and dirt, especially in warmer snow. But many of those waxes contain PFAS, a huge family of “forever chemicals” that can persist for years. That matters for health and for the environment, since PFAS can move through water and soil near ski venues.

One long running concern is exposure for the people who handle waxes most. A 2010 study of ski waxing technicians found markedly elevated blood levels of several perfluorinated compounds, with levels rising during competition travel and then falling after the season ended.

Read the research here.

So how does enforcement work at the Olympics? Officials test multiple spots on each ski or board with infrared screening. Green means a pass. Red means fluorine was detected. Too many red hits, and you are out.

This is not about shaming athletes. It is about protecting the Earth and the people who keep winter sports running, while reducing chemical Pollution that can harm wildlife downstream. Support brands and events that go PFAS free, and keep leaning into plant based choices that lighten our footprint.

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