Women's ski jumping - a go for Sochi 2014??
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- Created on Sunday, 24 October 2010 21:50
- Written by Dena Rosenberry
Photo by Andrew Miller, courtesy of snowrev.com
Olympic officials say they need more time to review women's ski jumping and other events before deciding whether to include them in the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi.
The other new events are ski and snowboard slopestyle, ski halfpipe, ski racing team, team figure skating, mixed relay biathlon and team luge.
Two senior officials said the International Olympic Committee looks "favorably" on the proposed events but won't make a final decision until 2011.
It's said the IOC will closely watch the caliber of athletes and performances at the 2011 Women's Ski Jumping World Championships in Norway in February. American Lindsey Van won the inaugural event.
The IOC turned down women's ski jumping for the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver because of a perceived lack of elite competitors.
"Approval for Sochi 2014 is huge for the advancement of the sport," said Deedee Corradini, a women's jumping advocate and president of Women's Ski Jumping USA. "It will bring many more young women and girls into the sport that have stayed away because they haven't been welcome on the ultimate stage: the Olympics."
In slopestyle, athletes do tricks while going down the mountain. Shaun White, who won the snowboard halfpipe gold medal in Vancouver, has said he would like to add slopestyle to his schedule if it's approved for Sochi.
Ski team racing features skiiers going head-to-head in a parallel giant slalom.
The inaugural world team skating event featured 8 skaters per team — two male single skaters, two female single skaters, one pairs couple and one ice dancing couple.
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