Why can’t we fly? Women Ski Jumpers Grounded by Olympics
It’s the original extreme sport: ski jumpers soar off huge, snow-covered jumps and fly hundreds of feet through the air. Men and women have been ski jumping since the late 19th century, but only men are allowed in the Olympic Winter Games.
Why?
That’s what 10 elite female ski jumpers want to know and they’re challenging this blatant gender discrimination in the Supreme Court of British Columbia. They launched the lawsuit against the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee (VANOC) last May and a judge will hear the arguments on April 20, 2009. These brave young women include three Americans: Lindsey Van, currently the top female ski jumper in the world, her teammate Jessica Jerome and Karla Keck, a retired ski jumping champion now coaching. The other plaintiffs are from Canada, Norway, Slovenia, Germany and Austria. The case is about human rights and gender discrimination. The cause is garnering worldwide press coverage which will continue as this has become one of the key stories of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) denies any discrimination. President Jacque Rogge says it’s a matter of “technical merit” and that women’s ski jumping simply isn’t developed enough. Gian-Franco Kasper, president of the international ski federation, stated in a radio interview that because of repeated hard landings, “the sport seems not to be appropriate for the ladies from a medical point of view.” After public outcry pointing to this obvious evidence of chauvinism he retracted the statement but the women’s division of ski jumping is still denied entry into the Olympics.
But how can that be when you compare women’s ski jumping to other sports the IOC recently allowed to launch women’s events at the Olympics? There are 157 active women ski jumpers from 18 countries registered with the International Ski Federation (www.fis-ski.com). At the time of decision by the IOC in November 2006, there were 30 women from 10 nations registered for skier cross and 83 women from 14 nations for women’s ski jumping. Skier cross was approved for the 2010 Olympics women’s ski jumping was rejected by the IOC based upon technical reasons. Women’s ski jumping meets the requirements of universality and technical merit with its elite competitors far exceeding the numbers of athletes and nations for other facility-based sports that have been allowed into the Olympics.
Still in 2006, the IOC voted to exclude women’s ski jumping, rejecting the 114-1 vote and recommendation of FIS to include women on the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games program.
“It is a clear case of gender discrimination and a violation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms,” declares Ross Clark, the women ski jumpers’ lawyer, a partner at the Vancouver office of Davis LLP. “We are suing VANOC because it is hosting the 2010 Olympics and spending millions of taxpayer dollars on ski jumping facilities for use only by men. This is wrong and Canadian law is very clear on that.”
“ A precedent does exist for the IOC to reverse its decisions even at the last minute,” points out Deedee Corradini, president of Women’s Ski Jumping-USA. “Only a short time before the 1984 Los Angeles games began, the IOC allowed women to participate in the marathon.”
On February 20th, American Lindsey Van won the gold medal in the Women’s Ski Jump World Championship in Liberec Czech Republic. The last and only other medal won by an American was in 1924, 85 years ago. Lindsey Van holds the record for the longest jump of a male or female on the jumps that will be used in the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Game a 105.5 meter jump. She will not be allowed to compete on these ski jumps in the 2010 Olympics because she is a girl.
Why can’t we fly? Women Ski Jumpers Grounded by Olympics
It’s the original extreme sport: ski jumpers soar off huge, snow-covered jumps and fly hundreds of feet through the air. Men and women have been ski jumping since the late 19th century, but only men are allowed in the Olympic Winter Games.
Why?
That’s what 10 elite female ski jumpers want to know and they’re challenging this blatant gender discrimination in the Supreme Court of British Columbia. They launched the lawsuit against the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee (VANOC) last May and a judge will hear the arguments on April 20, 2009. These brave young women include three Americans: Lindsey Van, currently the top female ski jumper in the world, her teammate Jessica Jerome and Karla Keck, a retired ski jumping champion now coaching. The other plaintiffs are from Canada, Norway, Slovenia, Germany and Austria. The case is about human rights and gender discrimination. The cause is garnering worldwide press coverage which will continue as this has become one of the key stories of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) denies any discrimination. President Jacque Rogge says it’s a matter of “technical merit” and that women’s ski jumping simply isn’t developed enough. Gian-Franco Kasper, president of the international ski federation, stated in a radio interview that because of repeated hard landings, “the sport seems not to be appropriate for the ladies from a medical point of view.” After public outcry pointing to this obvious evidence of chauvinism he retracted the statement but the women’s division of ski jumping is still denied entry into the Olympics.
But how can that be when you compare women’s ski jumping to other sports the IOC recently allowed to launch women’s events at the Olympics? There are 157 active women ski jumpers from 18 countries registered with the International Ski Federation (www.fis-ski.com). At the time of decision by the IOC in November 2006, there were 30 women from 10 nations registered for skier cross and 83 women from 14 nations for women’s ski jumping. Skier cross was approved for the 2010 Olympics women’s ski jumping was rejected by the IOC based upon technical reasons. Women’s ski jumping meets the requirements of universality and technical merit with its elite competitors far exceeding the numbers of athletes and nations for other facility-based sports that have been allowed into the Olympics.
Still in 2006, the IOC voted to exclude women’s ski jumping, rejecting the 114-1 vote and recommendation of FIS to include women on the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games program.
“It is a clear case of gender discrimination and a violation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms,” declares Ross Clark, the women ski jumpers’ lawyer, a partner at the Vancouver office of Davis LLP. “We are suing VANOC because it is hosting the 2010 Olympics and spending millions of taxpayer dollars on ski jumping facilities for use only by men. This is wrong and Canadian law is very clear on that.”
“ A precedent does exist for the IOC to reverse its decisions even at the last minute,” points out Deedee Corradini, president of Women’s Ski Jumping-USA. “Only a short time before the 1984 Los Angeles games began, the IOC allowed women to participate in the marathon.”
On February 20th, American Lindsey Van won the gold medal in the Women’s Ski Jump World Championship in Liberec Czech Republic. The last and only other medal won by an American was in 1924, 85 years ago. Lindsey Van holds the record for the longest jump of a male or female on the jumps that will be used in the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Game a 105.5 meter jump. She will not be allowed to compete on these ski jumps in the 2010 Olympics because she is a girl.
Why can’t we fly? Women Ski Jumpers Grounded by Olympics
It’s the original extreme sport: ski jumpers soar off huge, snow-covered jumps and fly hundreds of feet through the air. Men and women have been ski jumping since the late 19th century, but only men are allowed in the Olympic Winter Games.
Why?
That’s what 10 elite female ski jumpers want to know and they’re challenging this blatant gender discrimination in the Supreme Court of British Columbia. They launched the lawsuit against the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee (VANOC) last May and a judge will hear the arguments on April 20, 2009. These brave young women include three Americans: Lindsey Van, currently the top female ski jumper in the world, her teammate Jessica Jerome and Karla Keck, a retired ski jumping champion now coaching. The other plaintiffs are from Canada, Norway, Slovenia, Germany and Austria. The case is about human rights and gender discrimination. The cause is garnering worldwide press coverage which will continue as this has become one of the key stories of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) denies any discrimination. President Jacque Rogge says it’s a matter of “technical merit” and that women’s ski jumping simply isn’t developed enough. Gian-Franco Kasper, president of the international ski federation, stated in a radio interview that because of repeated hard landings, “the sport seems not to be appropriate for the ladies from a medical point of view.” After public outcry pointing to this obvious evidence of chauvinism he retracted the statement but the women’s division of ski jumping is still denied entry into the Olympics.
But how can that be when you compare women’s ski jumping to other sports the IOC recently allowed to launch women’s events at the Olympics? There are 157 active women ski jumpers from 18 countries registered with the International Ski Federation (www.fis-ski.com). At the time of decision by the IOC in November 2006, there were 30 women from 10 nations registered for skier cross and 83 women from 14 nations for women’s ski jumping. Skier cross was approved for the 2010 Olympics women’s ski jumping was rejected by the IOC based upon technical reasons. Women’s ski jumping meets the requirements of universality and technical merit with its elite competitors far exceeding the numbers of athletes and nations for other facility-based sports that have been allowed into the Olympics.
Still in 2006, the IOC voted to exclude women’s ski jumping, rejecting the 114-1 vote and recommendation of FIS to include women on the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games program.
“It is a clear case of gender discrimination and a violation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms,” declares Ross Clark, the women ski jumpers’ lawyer, a partner at the Vancouver office of Davis LLP. “We are suing VANOC because it is hosting the 2010 Olympics and spending millions of taxpayer dollars on ski jumping facilities for use only by men. This is wrong and Canadian law is very clear on that.”
“ A precedent does exist for the IOC to reverse its decisions even at the last minute,” points out Deedee Corradini, president of Women’s Ski Jumping-USA. “Only a short time before the 1984 Los Angeles games began, the IOC allowed women to participate in the marathon.”
On February 20th, American Lindsey Van won the gold medal in the Women’s Ski Jump World Championship in Liberec Czech Republic. The last and only other medal won by an American was in 1924, 85 years ago. Lindsey Van holds the record for the longest jump of a male or female on the jumps that will be used in the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Game a 105.5 meter jump. She will not be allowed to compete on these ski jumps in the 2010 Olympics because she is a girl.
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