Women's Ski Jumping

Hello Everyone,

It's been a while since I've gotten p*ssed of at something but this fight has been going on for a while and it's difficult to watch the struggles these girls are going through. I don't know the first thing about ski jumping and I think these athletes are rather crazy to hurl themselves down a hill off a ramp.

Nevertheless, I think they should be included, based on principle.

This is from the website, "Let Women Ski Jump in 2010!" www.wsj2010.com

WHEREAS ski jumping is the only activity in the Olympic Winter Games that does not allow women to compete, and

WHEREAS women from all over the world currently compete in an international women's tour (FIS Continental Cup) comprised of competitions in Asia, Europe, and North America on regulation Olympic ski jumps, and

WHEREAS the International Federation for ski jumping, the FIS, overwhelmingly voted to add women's ski jumping to the FIS World Championships and request the International Olympic Committee include a women's ski jumping event in the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, and

WHEREAS events for women have been added to the Olympic program in recent years which have had less participating athletes, nations, and universality in competitions than women's ski jumping, and

WHEREAS women's ski jumping is unique from all other candidate new entrant events as it is only requesting a women's event be added to the already existing Olympic event of ski jumping, and

WHEREAS the Olympic Charter specifically states as a mission and role of the IOC "to encourage and support the promotion of women in sport at all levels and in all structures with a view to implementing the principle of equality of men and women", and

WHEREAS the Olympic Charter also specifically states "Any form of discrimination with regard to a country or a person on grounds of race, religion, politics, gender or otherwise is incompatible with belonging to the Olympic Movement" as a fundamental principle of Olympism

THEREFORE the citizens of the world ask the International Olympic Committee to uphold the true spirit and intent of the Olympic Games and work with Canada to add a women's ski jumping event to the 2010 Olympic Games.

There is an on-line petition you can choose to sign if you wish. There is also a fact sheet.

Other notes on the website include: "On January 5, 2008, at the Whistler Olympic ski jumps, a woman set the overall normal hill record." and "In Canada it is against Federal and Provincial Law for the Government to use public funds for venues that exclude women."

Here is the fact sheet:

Should women be allwoed to ski jump in the 2010 Olympics?
You Decide

Myth: There are not enough women ski jumping for it to be included in the Olympic Winter Games.

Fact: Over 130 women from 16 nations are registered as international competitors with the International Ski Federation (FIS). Hundreds more compete in their own countries at the national and club levels.
http://www.fis-ski.com/uk/disciplines/skijumping/competitorbiographies.html

Myth: Women are not good enough to compete at the World Cup level.

Fact: The FIS Continental Cup format is used for the elite level of women's international competition. In 2004 organizers from ski jumping nations chose to forgo asking the FIS for a Women's World Cup tour in order to reduce production costs and facilitate growth in the sport.

Myth: Women's ski jumping is not developed enough. There is not enough "universality"

Fact: 16 Nations (AUT, CAN, CZE, FIN, FRA, GER, ITA, JAP, NED, NOR, POL, RUS, SLO, SWE, SUI & USA) have women registered as international competitors with the FIS. This season's Continental Cup tour will include 25 events hosted by 8 coiuntries in Europe, North America, and Asia.

Myth: Only a few women athletes can jump respectably.

Fact: 35 different athletes from 9 nations have placed within the top 10 in FIS Continental Cup competition during the past two seasons. The depth of field parallels the men's tour.

Myth: There must be two World Championship competitions held before an event can be included in the Olympics.

Fact: This crierion has had exceptions made to it in the past. The most notable being the inclusion of the women's marathon even in the th 1984 Los Angeles Olympics after a single World Championship in 1983. The first Women's Ski Jumping World Champtionship will be held in Liberec, Czech Republic in 2009. By 2010 there will have been four World Junior Championships.

Myth: There is not enough room on the 2010 program to incude the women jumpers.

Fact: Currently there are six men's ski jumping medal events (three ski jumping and three Nordic Combined) planned over six days. A single women's event could be schedules on available days.

Myth: The cost of including a women's event on the 2010 program would be prohibitive.

Fact: Women ski jump on the identical jumps that Men use. The venue would not be required to be modified in any way.