Winter Olympics exclusion of women’s Nordic combined event draws rebuke
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Female athletes competing in the Northern European mixed event have planned a protest against their exclusion from the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.
The sport, which combines ski jumping and cross-country skiing, will not have a women’s competition at the Winter Olympics next month. It will be one of the rare events where there will be no female participants.
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Annika Malacinski of the United States competes in the Women’s Individual Compact NH/5km of the FIS World Cup Northern Combined Seefeld on February 1, 2025 in Seefeld, Austria. (Franz Kirchmayr/SEPA.Media/Getty Images)
American athlete Annika Malacinski he told Reuters He said he and his competitors will hold an “X” sign with their batons to symbolize “no exceptions” before starting the race in Seefeld, Austria.
“The exclusion of women is so complicated because we have ticked off everything the IOC wants to see, but at the end of the day what hurts is that the IOC cannot see the quality of adding women. We cannot move to another stage without full equality in the Olympics,” she said.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) told Reuters it recognized the problems the sport faces in terms of popularity for both men and women, including a lack of overall popularity and competitiveness.
“The IOC will continue to support the International Ski Federation (FIS) in the development and promotion of the Nordic Combined,” the IOC said. “Therefore, the discipline will undergo a full evaluation after the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan Cortina.
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Children play near the Olympic rings during snowfall ahead of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics in Livigno, Italy, on January 8, 2026. (REUTERS/Yara Nardi)
“On the other hand, the FIS and the Nordic Combined community have a responsibility to come back with a more compelling example in terms of universality, popularity and level of performance in both the men’s and women’s categories to enable the IOC to make decisions for the 2030 Games and beyond.”
Northern European mixed events have been held exclusively for men since 1924. Norway took the most gold with 15 gold.
Malacinski also expressed his displeasure at the lack of representation at the Games in a video posted on TikTok.
“Honestly, this is so sad, I could cry all day about this,” he said in the video. “It feels like we’re being told that our dreams are less important. This also excites me because it shows how important it is that we keep talking.”
Olympic rings are displayed in the snow at Stelvio Ski Resort, where alpine skiing and ski mountaineering are held at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics in Bormio, Italy, on January 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno, File)
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Athletes will have to wait until the 2030 Olympics to see if a women’s North American competition will be added to the schedule.
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