Three Athletes Lose Their Olympic Dreams to 'Forever Chemicals'

The Japanese snowboarder Masaki Shiba had just finished his first high-speed, head-to-head run in the parallel giant slalom at the Winter Games when he was abruptly disqualified. It wasn't a false start, or even a failed doping test. His snowboard had tested positive for traces of PFAS, or "forever chemicals," which have been banned at the Winter Olympics for the first time this year because of their damage to the environment and the human body.

Shiba and two South Korean skiers were disqualified in the last week. They are the first known offenders of a new rule that bans the use of ski wax that contains these chemicals, which have moisture-wicking properties that can help skis and snowboards go a lot faster in the snow. South Korean cross-country skiers Han Dasom and Lee Eui-jin were disqualified from the women's sprint event on Tuesday. That came one day after Japanese snowboarder Shiba Masaki was disqualified from the men's parallel giant slalom. Olympics

A Test They Never Expected to Fail

The disqualifications came as a shock to all three athletes, who insisted they had been careful to comply with regulations that had already been in effect for two years on the World Cup circuit. "I've been tested for fluoride every match for identical board and identical wax composition throughout the World Cup, but I've never tested positive," Masaki said on Instagram. "When it comes to waxing, we do our own work during practice, but during competition we officially requested a professional serviceman to finish the board." TNT Sports

The snowboarder said he could scarcely believe it. He was aware of the ban, which has also been adopted at other top-tier events, and thought he had complied. On Day 2 of the competition, Shiba was disqualified, ending what was most likely the 39-year-old's last Olympics run.

The Korean team expressed similar bewilderment. A spokesperson for the Korea Ski Association initially told the South Korean news agency Newsis that the organization was "perplexed" by the results. "They tested negative in all previous international competitions with no prior issues," they said. "We will consult experts from wax and ski manufacturers to investigate whether the issue lies with the wax or skis.

Officials test multiple points on each competitor's equipment, using a technique known as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy to detect fluoros. If a given spot on a ski or snowboard turns green, it passes. A red result indicates the presence of the banned substance. Three or more red spots leads to disqualification.

In all three cases, the athletes' equipment flashed red enough times to end their Olympic dreams. In all three cases, their scores were voided for their use of PFAS-containing fluorinated wax, according to their official scoring records.

Both teams have blamed supplier error rather than intentional cheating. The South Korean news media quoted the Korean Olympic committee as saying the positive results stemmed from supplier error. Hayashi Wax, the manufacturer of the ski wax used by Shiba, said in a statement that it had discovered that a coach had mistakenly treated the athlete's snowboard with a different brand of wax.

The explanation highlights a troubling reality: even athletes trying to comply can fail PFAS tests through cross-contamination. A wax bench that once held fluorinated products, a shared tool, or a mislabeled container can be enough to trigger a disqualification.

For decades, elite snow sports athletes have relied on waxes with fluorocarbons that are exceptional at repelling water and dirt. Former U.S. cross-country racer Nathan Schultz described the performance advantage bluntly: the fluorinated waxes provide a "really ridiculous speed advantage," especially in warmer conditions like those experienced at these Games.

But the chemicals that made athletes faster were also making them sick — and poisoning the mountains they raced on. Studies have linked exposure to PFAS to thyroid disease, developmental problems, and cancer, and research has found elevated levels in ski technicians who regularly handled the waxes. PFAS have also been detected in soil and water near ski venues, including wells drawing from aquifers in Park City, Utah, suggesting broader environmental contamination.

Amid growing concern over the environmental impacts and the risks to skiers, their technicians, and others, the International Ski and Snowboard Federation, or FIS, called for a ban in 2019. The prohibition took effect in 2023, and applies to all events governed by the federation, including nordic, alpine and freestyle skiing, ski jumping, and snowboarding.

The Milano Cortina 2026 Games represent the first Winter Olympics to enforce the ban — and the first to see athletes pay the price for violations.

For Shiba, at 39 years old, the disqualification almost certainly marks the end of his Olympic career. For Lee Eui-jin, 24, and Han Da-som, 31, there may be future opportunities to compete on the world's biggest stage — but the bitter memory of this week will follow them.

The International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) said Han Dasom and Lee Eui-jin were out of the qualification round for the women's cross-country classic sprint after their equipment "tested positive for fluor." Both athletes have not filed formal protests, suggesting an acceptance — however painful — that the tests were accurate, even if the contamination was unintentional.

The three disqualifications send a clear message to every athlete preparing for these Games and beyond: the era of PFAS in winter sports is over. The chemicals that once made champions are now making cautionary tales. And in Milan-Cortina 2026, the price of a red light on a testing device is the end of an Olympic dream.