Nordic combined, lonely winter players sports without gender equality, faces a poignant Olympic future
The Nordic Combineed has a rich history at the Olympic Games and a potential, dark future.
Since the first winter games of 1924, a unique sport tested the courage and endurance of athletes in skiing and skiing skiing skiing.
A year, that could be a former Olympic sport.
“It’s a big concern or big question we’re talking about,” said four -time Olympic champion Joergen Graabak from Norway in an interview with Associate Press.
The Nordic CombinED should complete the competition at the Milan-Cortini Olympics on February 19, 2026, which could be its finals on the world stage.
The International Olympic Committee will send a call in June, when it decides what events will be part of its program at the FRENCH ALPS 2030 Winter Games.
Sport may not make a cut at least in part to end conversations about their gender inequality during the era where women have reached steps in sports around the world.
The Nordic CombinED is the only winter Olympic sport that excludes gender, providing men the opportunity to go to gold while women are shifted to viewing. The international skiing and snowboard federation (FIS) plans to apply for women’s Nordic combinations to become an Olympic sport, but not until the summer of 2026.
IOC proudly says that winter games 2026 will be the most popular balanced, leading to the fact that 47 percent of athletes will be female.
FIS aims to increase the Nordic combined visibility
Although the control body could decide to give women a chance for Olympic gold in Nordic combined, it could decide and eliminate sports from the program in five years.
FIS, national management bodies, athletes, coaches and advocates are doing everything they can to save sports at the Olympic level. They took the number of skiers who participate, along with attempts to increase its visibility to the doctries Overlookedand a greater presence on social media.
The French skiing federation can also give the Sports Savior line.
Although the control body in France will not call shots, it is united with FIS to publicly and privately encourage women in Nordic combined in combination to have the first opportunity to compete for Olympic gold in 2030.
“The female Nordic combination develops little by little around the world and it is only logical that women can join the Olympic program,” the French Technical Director for Ski Federation Pierre Mignerey told AP. “But we are not decisions.”
Jarl Magnus Riiber, a five -time overall World Cup champion, is currently in the first place, hopes IOC will consider to reduce sports to two other disciplines.
“The seizure of the Nordic combination will be a little destroyed by skipping skiing and cross country,” said the 27-year-old Norwegian, who plans to withdraw after the season due to the digestive condition. “This is very important for the stability of our system.
“It is a very simple choice for them to repair quickly, but I think it is best for the future to keep it in the winter games.”
Three years ago, Nordic combined barely survived as an Olympic sport.
The MOO Executive Board complained that he did not have a strong international representation outside Europe. During the previous three winter games, only four countries won 27 medals available, and the sport had the smallest audience during these Olympics.
46 Women with World Cup points
Since then, FIS has enabled the IOC progress reports every six months and has met annually.
Females leaving the seat as tall like a 40 -floor building and flying off the length of the American football field and then racing on ski skis, they also did their part to make other living Olympic dreams.
There are 46 women with World Cup points, entering the World Cup that starts on Thursday in Norway, after 30 women participated in the debut season four years ago.
Ski from Germany, Japan and Norway are in the first three in the World Cup ladder, and eight countries are represented among the top 12.
The United States, whose Nordic Combined Program was saved last fall after losing financing, has two women in the Top 15: Alexa Brabec and Annika Malacinski.
Previously, Brabec finished fourth in Austria this month because of the best end of the American woman since Tara Geraghty-Moats won the first World Cup event for women in 2020.
Alas, Geraghty-Moats left the sport to follow Olympic dreams in Biatlon.
20-year-old Brabec, however, holds hope that in five years he will receive a shot for jumping and skiing for Olympic gold in France.
“It would be a real shame to keep us out,” she told AP. “I have heard that the French really want us there. It is exciting and encouraging that there are people who believe in women in our sport.”
