Why women aren't allowed to ski jump in the Olympics | Golden Skate

Why women aren't allowed to ski jump in the Olympics

Tonichelle

Idita-Rock-n-Roll
Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 27, 2003
it does seem odd that they don't allow women, but I'm not about to burn my bra over it.
 

Johar

Medalist
Joined
Dec 16, 2003
I feel the men behind the decision are sexist, which is a term I seldom use. What will their excuse be in four years?
 

pohatta

On the Ice
Joined
Mar 15, 2005
It probably has something to do with the fact that some strong ski jumping countries hardly acknowledge female jumping at all. For example ski jumping is one of the Top 3 most popular television sports in Finland but I've never heard of any competitions held here for women. It's quite baffling really.
 

viv

On the Ice
Joined
Feb 3, 2009
It probably has something to do with the fact that some strong ski jumping countries hardly acknowledge female jumping at all. For example ski jumping is one of the Top 3 most popular television sports in Finland but I've never heard of any competitions held here for women. It's quite baffling really.

In Switzerland and Austria it is not very popular yet as well, but at least the Austrians have one or two good jumpers. The problem is that the best female jumpers are from countries which don't have very good male jumpers - the US, France. As far as I know in Stams, the famous Austrian boarding school for Ski Sports, they accept female jumpers now, and very, very seldom they show a competition in Eurosport. That makes me hope for the future. Sometimes things just need a bit time to develop - think of the summer Olympics and ladies pole vault. It was only Olympic in the 1990s, and how popular is it now!
 

viv

On the Ice
Joined
Feb 3, 2009

:laugh:

ITA. And that - on a symbolic level - was what the élite female jumpers did by going to court. I didn't follow the whole story in detail, so I don't know by whom the campaign was led, but when I read about it a month or so ago, I thought they have been denied because the whole thing took place too shortly before the Olympics. Still I am confident that they have a fair chance by trying it again for the Sochi games.
 

Wicked

Final Flight
Joined
May 26, 2009
I love ski jumping and would love to watch the ladies jump. Come on, IOC, do the right thing! There should be no men-only sports.
 

Alatariel

On the Ice
Joined
Feb 15, 2010
Love the Dick Pound statement, goes with his name. Would love to shove a ski up his ... to be perfectly frank. What a bunch of OLD f.rts!

Well, women managed to fight it out for everything else, they'll fight it out for this too. It's just appalling that they even have to fight it out in the first place in the 21st century. But we all know how corrupt IOC is and really, if they just greased the right palms it would go through. Of course, where do they get the money? Hate this kind of thing.
 

bethissoawesome

On the Ice
Joined
Dec 12, 2005
A lot of things in life are sexist... not just sports. It's the same mentality that the US has about women in combat... they aren't allowed to be in any combat positions or on the frontline. People still feel like it's their job to "protect" women. It might be the 21st century, but change is slow in that department.
 

i love to skate

Medalist
Joined
Dec 13, 2005
I love ski jumping and would love to watch the ladies jump. Come on, IOC, do the right thing! There should be no men-only sports.

Well there are female only sports - rhythmic gymnastics and synchronized swimming...

The whole issue was not sexist nor was it discrimination. The female ski jumpers simply waited too long when they brought this issue to court. The IOC voted on Women's ski jumping back in 2006 (where it was denied because it did not meet the criteria) and when the women tried to get into the Olympics only a few months before the Games, it rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. They kept trying to sue VANOC as well - which had no control over the situation.
 
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zowie

Rinkside
Joined
Nov 5, 2006
Well there are female only sports - rhythmic gymnastics and synchronized swimming...

The whole issue was not sexist nor was it discrimination. The female ski jumpers simply waited too long when they brought this issue to court. The IOC voted on Women's ski jumping back in 2007 (where it was denied because it did not meet the criteria) and when the women tried to get into the Olympics only a few months before the Games, it rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. They kept trying to sue VANOC as well - which had no control over the situation.


What criteria was that?
 

naughteousmaximus

Spectator
Joined
Feb 23, 2010
Isn't this a dead-simple issue? Lack of global participation is why the sport isn't in the Olympics. No gender bias whatsoever - the IOC simply says that Olympic medals are for elite athletes and so any sport with at best fringe worldwide active participation is not eligible. The sport has only been in existence for 4 years and the first world championships was only last year. This is exactly like the suggestion above - just because 5 local teams of male idiots choose to form a synchronized swimming team doesn't mean they should be awarded the same Olympic medal as the 100-metre dash winner.

If women's ski jumping participation grows to the point where it, say, has half the participants of male jumping, then I think it will and should be an Olympic event.
 

zowie

Rinkside
Joined
Nov 5, 2006
Isn't this a dead-simple issue?


No, it's not.

In 2005, Gian Franco Kasper, FIS president and a member of the IOC, said that he didn't think women should ski jump because the sport "seems not to be appropriate for ladies from a medical point of view."
 

i love to skate

Medalist
Joined
Dec 13, 2005
Isn't this a dead-simple issue?


No, it's not.

In 2005, Gian Franco Kasper, FIS president and a member of the IOC, said that he didn't think women should ski jump because the sport "seems not to be appropriate for ladies from a medical point of view."

Well that was five years ago. Women's ski jumping will be included in the 2012 Youth Olympic Games and Jacques Rogge has said there is a good chance it could be added to the Olympics in 2014. A sport can't just decide it wants to be in the Olympics right away, it needs to experience world wide growth, have time to develop the athlete's and draw in a fan base. A couple years down the road it will be in an Olympic sport.
 

zowie

Rinkside
Joined
Nov 5, 2006
...A sport can't just decide it wants to be in the Olympics right away...


Women ski jumpers have petitioned to join every Winter Olympics since Nagano in 1998, and each time they have been denied by the International Olympics Committee (IOC).
 

i love to skate

Medalist
Joined
Dec 13, 2005
Women ski jumpers have petitioned to join every Winter Olympics since Nagano in 1998, and each time they have been denied by the International Olympics Committee (IOC).

Yes for the reasons I stated above - not enough countries participating, not enough athletes, and no World Championship (until last year).
 
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