Ellington

Lindsey Van is one of the best ski jumpers in the world. She set the normal-hill world record on the Olympic ski jumps in Whistler, British Columbia, and won first place in the women’s ski jumping event when it debuted at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships last year. At 25 years old, she is likely at the peak of her athletic career and would be a favorite going into this year’s Olympic Games in Vancouver, British Columbia, if it weren’t for one major obstacle: her gender.

Despite the fact that ski jumping has been an Olympic sport since the very first Winter Olympic Games in 1924 and the fact that female ski jumpers have actively petitioned to be included in the games since the Nagano Olympics in 1998, there will be no female ski jumping event in Vancouver this year.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) contends that the reason why ski jumping remains the only Olympic sport from which women are excluded is not a matter of sexual discrimination. They claim that the women’s version of ski jumping lacks the size, universal appeal and history of world championships that is required of Olympic sports. If the fact sheet on their official Web site is any indication, the ladies of the Visa U.S. Women’s Ski Jumping Team aren’t buying it. The page attacks the IOC’s allegations point by point, citing that, “in 2009, more than 160 women from 18 nations were registered with FIS as elite ski jumpers.”

The disturbing truth is that there is no good reason why the IOC has chosen to exclude female ski jumpers from the Vancouver games. Female jumpers use the same jumps that men use, are scored according to very similar technical criteria, and have accumulated the numbers and support necessary for the success of their sport.

We always think of the Olympics as an event that celebrates equality, that brings people of all nations together. But if you’re a fan of ski jumping, you know there’s a whole host of willing athletes who aren’t allowed on the slopes.

Even more troubling is that the women have the law on their side.

According to wsj2010.com, which bears a petition endorsed by and in support of elite female ski jumpers, “in Canada, it is against federal and provincial law for the government to use public funds for venues that exclude women.” So, last April, Van and nine other female ski jumpers decided to pursue their rights in court.

Time magazine reports that the women “sued the Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC) for violating [Canada’s] ban on gender discrimination.” The all-male ski jumping events in Vancouver clearly exclude capable female athletes, so “The British Columbia Supreme Court ruled … [that] the IOC’s decision did qualify as gender discrimination.”

Unfortunately, the British Columbia Supreme Court also said that VANOC “had no authority to tell [the IOC] which sports they could and could not include.” This essentially gave the female jumpers confirmation that, yes, they are being discriminated against, but left them with no recourse whatsoever.

Given that the Olympics are already under way, the female ski jumpers of the world have no choice but to keep trying. One hopes that another four years spent training, promoting and petitioning for their cause will put the necessary pressure on the IOC, and that female ski jumpers will eventually get an equal chance to compete on the global stage.

Reach columnist Rebecca Kuensting at opinion@dailyuw.com.