By Jessica • 16 years ago

Ski Se Puede!

womenskijump.jpg
Contributed by Sarah Murray, Women’s Sports Foundation
The party is ON in Vancouver at the end of the month. The women’s ski jumping consortium is hosting a….ummmm….rally of sorts for Jacque Rogge and his International Olympic Committee (IOC) cronies who will be in town for a Coordination Committee meeting.
The IOC continues to deny women the opportunity to compete in ski jumping on the Olympic level, despite support for inclusion by the Canadian Olympic Committee, the International Ski Federation (FIS) and every upright walking human who has bothered to pay attention to the issue. Not surprisingly, the IOC’s decision making Executive Committee is made up of 14 men and just one woman. The FIS, in contrast, actually voted 114 to 1 to recommend the inclusion of women. (Was the Devil’s Advocate allowed to vote? Actually, the one dissenting vote came from the representative from Switzerland – headquarters of the IOC.)

The IOC has dished out a heap of lame excuses for why they won’t allow women to jump, including: not enough global participation, and “technical merit,� calling women out for not being strong enough skiers. Truth be told, there are 142 female ski jumpers from 16 countries registered with the FIS, competing internationally. As for “technical merit,� it’s hogwash! Women are absolutely killing it in ski jumping! Lindsey Van, a member of the U.S. team set the 90M hill record for the exact jump that will be used in Vancouver by jumping 105.5 meters. The record for men on that same jump is currently 99 meters. As sweet as that fact is, the point is not about who jumps farther. Equity and justice shouldn’t hinge on performance. How about adding the sport because it’s the right thing to do?
If you live near Vancouver, check out wwsj2010.com to find out how you can join the rally. Or, if you can’t attend, go to the site and help the gals out by signing their online petition to the IOC. They’re looking to get 5,000 signatures before the end of the month. Better yet, strap on some ski and go learn how to jump!
Athletes for Equality will be at the Vancouver Art Museum plaza, Sunday Feb 24 1pm, with a 2pm press conference to follow.

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