Jumping to win much-deserved equal rights

Women ski jumpers haven’t waved the white flag on the 2010 Winter Games just yet.

In many ways, women have made great strides toward equal representation at the Olympics. In fact, in 1991 a new Olympic rule stipulated that any new event must have a men’s and women’s competition. Ski jumping, however, was “grandmothered” out of this rule, Deedee Corradini, president of the nonprofit Women’s Ski Jumping USA said, because it wasn’t a new event, as it had been part of the games since 1924.

But pressure has been growing to add women’s jumping, and in May 2006, the International Ski Federation voted 114 to 1 to petition the International Olympic Committee to admit it into the 2010 Vancouver games. That November, the IOC denied the petition, saying women’s ski jumping had neither enough competitors nor participating countries and hadn’t yet had two World Championships.

Corradini said these reasons hold no water, citing as support the following facts: During the 2006–07 season, 89 women ski jumpers from 14 countries competed at the elite Continental Cup competitions. That’s more competitors than participated in bobsleigh (which had 26 women from 13 nations), snowboard cross (34 women from 10 nations) and the just-added event ski cross (30 women from 11 nations).

In 2007, the IOC removed from its charter the requirement that a sport must have had two World Championships before it can be added to the Olympics. People haven’t accepted the IOC decision quietly, though. In 2008, 10 female ski jumpers from around the world including Lindsey Van and Jessica Jerome launched a gender-discrimination lawsuit against the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee. (Canadian law firm Davis LLP is handling the case pro bono.) Its argument is that because the 2010 Olympics will use government funds and public equipment, it must provide equal opportunities to men and women or be in violation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

VanOC declined to comment for this article because the lawsuit is still before the courts. In a statement released last summer, however, Cathy Priestner, executive vice president of sports and games operations for VanOC, said the Vancouver games “could support (ski jumping) from a logistical and operational standpoint” but “the final decision lies with the IOC, and we respect and accept the IOC’s decision regarding women’s ski jumping. We encourage the women ski jumpers to focus their efforts on 2014.”

Corradini expects a ruling on the lawsuit in Spring 2009, soon enough for women to jump at the games. “It’s absolutely still possible for them to be at Vancouver and there’s no reason for them not to be.”

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