From nipple flashes to knicker reveals, Winter Olympic athletes have gained attention for their athletic prowess and their wardrobe malfunctions – here’s all the outfit faux pas and mishaps
09:07, 14 Feb 2026Updated 09:15, 14 Feb 2026
Papadakis gave the crowd more than she had intended(Image: Getty Images)
The Winter Olympics have had their fair share of wardrobe malfunctions. This year, the start of the Milan Cortina Games was dominated by “penis-gate”, after reports that ski jumpers had been shockingly injecting their penises with hyaluronic acid before being measured for their suits.
The injections are both member and performance-enhancing as 3D scanner measurements for the crotch area of their jumpsuits are taken from the lowest point of the athlete’s member – meaning any extra growth could translate to a competitive advantage before they even take off.
The discovery has rocked the sport – a sport ironically defined by length – but it’s not the first time Winter Olympic athletes have gained attention for their bodies. Before ‘penis-gate’, there were breast-enhancing chest plates, unfortunate gusts of wind and plenty of wardrobe malfunctions from Olympic skaters. From nipple slips to knicker flashes, here are all the Winter Olympic wardrobe malfunctions.
Chemmy Alcott was asked to remove her chest plate in ‘boob-gate’ incident(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
UK skier Chemmy Alcott’s ‘Boob-gate’
Back in the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, British alpine skier Chemmy Alcott caused controversy with an oversized synthetic chest plate, which was designed to protect her ribs, but also enhanced her bust.
The athlete was told she had to remove the appendage, despite wearing it on doctor’s orders and competing at the time with broken ribs.
Recalling the moment recently on the Sports Agents podcast, Alcott said: “I happened to be wearing a Wonderbra that day, so I had this chest plate made which was quite a lot larger than my natural sizing. Then I tried to race in it and they banned it because it didn’t let air through for aerodynamics.
“I was like, ‘OK, but I’ve got these broken ribs and I don’t want to get further injured.’ So I’ve got this amazing chest plate that is ready for Lady Gaga in fancy dress!”
Figure skater’s nip flash
French figure skater Gabriella Papadakis lost vital points at the 2018 PyeongChang games when she suffered an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction, which she has described as her “worst nightmare”.
Tipped to win gold, Papadakis was mid-routine with former skating partner Guillaume Cizeron when she revealed more than she had intended.
At the Gangneung Ice Arena, Cizeron twirled around Papadakis, which caused her top to accidentally loosen, resulting in the subsequent reveal of her nipple.
For their routine, the pair received a stunning 81.93 score from the judges, which placed them in second place at the halfway point.
Cizeron later claimed that the accident caused them to miss out on vital points as they went on to claim the silver medal in the event with a final score of 205.28.
Speaking after the performance, Papadakis said: “My costume opened up. It was difficult. It’s the first time that something like that happened. I tried to stay focused and finish without anything else happening.”
Lindsey’s revealing slit revealed a little more than intended(Image: Variety via Getty Images)
Five-time Olympian’s red carpet faux pas
Gold medalist skier Lindsey Vonn, who is currently facing multiple surgeries on her leg after a horrific crash in the downhill race at the Milan Cortina Games, was upstaged by the weather while on the red carpet earlier this year.
Looking stunning in a glamorous, full-length gown complete with a sexy split running up the leg on the red carpet at the ESPYs in July, the five-time Olympian drew attention for the wrong reason after a gust of wind caught her dress and revealed her underwear.
Vonn, who dated Tiger Woods from 2013 to 2015, quickly tried to keep her dress in place; however, she ended up changing outfits and was spotted in a sparkling silver outfit as she posed for photos with US gymnast Simone Biles.
Olga Graf forgot where she was for a moment, post medal win(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Winter Olympics icon’s revealing unzipping
Russian speed skater Olga Graf got a bit carried away after unexpectedly winning bronze at the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi.
Basking in her glory after nabbing a second Olympic medal for finishing her event in four minutes and 3.47 seconds, Graf unzipped her skin suit so she could breathe, giving fans plenty back for their applause.
The then-32-year-old gave a rather chesty display after she skated around the ice and must have felt the chill as she quickly re-zipped her suit back up.
After being on the verge of a major slip, Graf said: “I totally forgot. We have very good suits and they are very tight.
“You just want to breathe and you want to take off your suit. Only afterward did I realize that maybe this video will appear on YouTube. But I don’t think it will be so bad.”
Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier managed to style out their wardrobe hiccup(Image: Andy Cheung/Getty Images)
Potential wardrobe malfunction saved by partner
A potentially embarrassing wardrobe malfunction and point deduction were narrowly avoided thanks to one ice skater’s partner’s quick thinking.
At the current Milan Cortina Games, Canadians Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier were taking part in the rhythm section of the Ice Dance when a piece of Poirier’s clothing came loose during their performance.
In a high-intensity section, a piece of Poirier’s outfit was caught in Gilles’ tights.
However, Gilles acted quickly to save the Canadian duo. According to Olympic rules, if part of the outfit touched the ice, then it would have resulted in the judges deducting one point, which could have seen them tumble down the standings .
The Canadian amazingly managed to catch the item of clothing and finished with an improvised pose with the material behind her back.
Canada scored 86.18 for their performance and found themselves in the podium in third place. However, if the piece of clothing had touched the ice they would have fallen to fourth in the standings.
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