Published: June 2, 2006
PARK CITY, UTAH (May 26, 2006)-- The only sport in the Olympic Winter Games which does not allow women, Ski Jumping (along with Nordic Combined—ski jumping and cross country), took a major leap forward today at the International Ski Federation Congress in Portugal. The Congress voted to include a women's ski jumping individual event in the World Championships in Liberec 2009 (Czech Republic), to request that the International Olympic Committee include a women's ski jumping individual event in the Olympic Winter Games of Vancouver 2010, and to include a women's ski jumping team event in the 2011 World Championships in Oslo, Norway. World Championships are required before an event can be included in the Olympic Games.
The Executive Board of Women's Ski Jumping USA has been in Vilamoura, Portugal this week to lobby for passage, including Deedee Corradini, President, Victor Method, Ronda Thomas and Peter Jerome.
“This has been an historic day for the women ski jumpers in the U.S. and worldwide,” said Deedee Corradini, President of Women's Ski Jumping USA and Senior Vice President of Prudential Utah Real Estate. “The athletes have earned this with their efforts over the past many years. They have worked hard and developed the sport from the grass roots levels. We worked closely with the USSA, Canada and Norway to get this done.”
“The advancement of women's sport took a giant leap today with the FIS Congress approval of the World Championships in Liberec and the recommendation for inclusion in Vancouver 2010,” said Ronda Thomas, Board Member WSJ USA and President of The Exordium Group. “We look forward to working with the many nations in the FIS family to promote women's ski jumping at the highest levels of international competition.”
What next?This vote moves the sport one step closer to being added to the Olympic Winter Games. For women jumpers to compete at the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver, ski jumping must be accepted by the local organizing committee in Canada and be approved by the International Olympic Committee at its meeting in July 2007.
Read additional articles on this effort.