The Olympics, whether summer or winter, are always a highly anticipated event,bringing the world together to root for their respective athletes. This year’s winter Olympics began on February 6th taking place in Milan, Italy.The events on display showcase a wide range of specialties and skills, where attentive audiences get to watch in awe as the best athletes, men and women,get to compete with the best of the best. Being able to see all genders compete within these competitions at the winter games is true for all but one event:Nordic combined. This event is the only one at the 2026 games that only has a men’s division, which therefore means that no woman has a chance to compete and represent their nation.
Nordic combined, as a sport, blends ski jumping with cross country skiing. The athletes first perform ski jumps with scores based on distance and style. Then, these scores are used to create placements and starting positions for the 10k pursuit style cross country race.Whomever crosses the finish line first then wins the overall event. Because it combines two different sets of skills, this event obviously requires dedication and specialized training to achieve success. The level of commitment and passion needed does not differ from any other Olympic sport and does not base itself on gender.
In 2022 the IOC (International Olympic Committee) voted to not offer the women’s division at the 2026 games citing lack of universality, or “limited participating nations,” and lower viewer popularity. The IOC also deemed the sport’s development to be insufficient, and this was part of why it is not being offered. This move, to cut the women’s division, is now being touted as “one of the biggest moves against gender equity in the Olympic movement history.”
The IOC used the fact that the sport is underdeveloped as a reason to not offer it at the Games, but this creates a looping effect in actual execution. If the sport is not offered at the highest level, which therefore means there are tangibly less opportunities to continue competing in this sport— and less incentivization to continue—how is the sport meant to grow and become “developed?” Athletes are drawn to competition, and when that competition isn’t offered, how is a sport meant to grow?
The organization also cites having alack of participating nations, which could be true, except for the fact that Nordic combined hosts a world level competition already. So, there is actual proof that there are enough people to compete on a world stage within this sport. Finally, the IOC cites lower viewer popularity which has nothing to do with the athletes themselves. Viewer popularity hinges on marketing and availability of time slots chosen to showcase certain sports. If the IOC is not putting in effort to promote this sport via marketing, which has nothing to do with the sport or athletes, then how is Nordic combined being set up for success in the first place?
The IOC is also shooting themselves in the foot about this sport’s development because representation in media has long been known to be the factor that tangibly increases a sports popularity and numbers. On the side of mental wellness, it’s been found that representation positively increases confidence and mental health in those being represented. Further, the world is being impacted by politics and animosity between different political parties. Various groups are holding different belief systems and are weaponizing violence against others. Normally, the Olympics serve to bring people together, and representation of both gender divisions within Nordic combined would further help this goal as representation has been cited as a way to reduce prejudice in different groups due to the exposure to those different from themselves.
These winter Olympics are still going to be an amazing spectacle, as they always are, and a beautiful showing of athletes’ prowess and skill. But as viewers, we cannot forget that not everyone was afforded this opportunity, and this lack of opportunity was simply on the basis of gender. Men’s Nordic combined has the chance to share their sport with the world, but the women were left at home to watch. This is a distinct hit to the movement of equality and equity for genders, and we should be lobbying for more inclusive representation and equal opportunity in every area of life, including sport.
By: McKenzie Altmayer, MA, LPC
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References
Nadal,K. L. Y. (2021, December 21). Why representation matters and why it’s still not enough.Psychology Today.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/psychology-the-people/202112/why-representation-matters-and-why-it-s-still-not-enough
Press,A., & Authors, M. (2022, June 24). IOC keeps women’s Nordic combined skiing out of 2026 olympics. ESPN.
https://www.espn.com/olympics/story/_/id/34143184/ioc-keeps-women-nordic-combined-2026-olympics
