STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — A century-old Winter Olympic sport faces elimination after the 2026 Games, leaving athletes like Steamboat Springs native Alexa Brabec fighting for their Olympic dreams.
Nordic combined, which mixes ski jumping with cross-country skiing, has been part of the Winter Olympics since the inaugural games in 1924. However, it remains the only winter Olympic sport without a women's competition, and that exclusion may now cost the sport its Olympic future entirely.
"We're all working just as hard as the men. We're training just as much. We're doing everything they're doing, but we just don't have this opportunity," Brabec said.
Brabec is a Nordic combined World Cup holder, but she won't compete in the 2026 Winter Olympics — not by choice, but because women aren't allowed to participate in the sport at the Olympic level.
"It was definitely a surprise when in 2022 they were like, nope, the women still don't get this opportunity that the men have," Brabec said.
The International Olympic Committee has placed Nordic combined on the chopping block, with the sports director citing low participation from countries and limited viewership as key concerns. The IOC will decide the sport's Olympic future after the 2026 Winter Games.
Despite the uncertainty, Brabec remains optimistic about the sport's growth and potential inclusion of women's competition.
"Nordic combined could be like fading or something like that, but I think also people are feeling more and more positive like we're seeing like more support, more people following the sport. More results from more nations like the level is continuing to progress," Brabec said, "all the things that the IOC has said that they needed to see to support putting the women and keeping the sport in the Olympics."
The potential elimination affects not just Olympic competition but could impact the entire sport's future development and funding.
"I think there's still like a bit of fear there, like we don't know what the IOC will decide, and that's scary," Brabec said.
For now, Brabec encourages fans to support the men's Nordic combined competition at the 2026 Olympics, believing that increased viewership could help save the sport and eventually create opportunities for women.
"You should also watch it on the men compete at the Olympics because supporting them supports us too," Brabec said.
Despite concerns about low participation in the sport, Colorado Senators John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet released a statement on Friday, expressing their support for.
The two sent a letter to the International Olympic Committee, arguing that Nordic Combined has a rich history in Colorado, dating back to 1924, and has the potential to expand to include women, rather than cutting the competition altogether.
The letter can be found below;
Dear President Coventry,
As we celebrate the Winter Olympics, we write to encourage you to support the future of Nordic Combined by continuing to include the sport in future games and expanding participation to women.
Nordic Combined has been part of the Winter Olympics since the first Games in 1924. In the U.S. State of Colorado, ski jumping and cross-country skiing are staples of winter sports. Jumps were built across our state, including at Steamboat Springs' Howelsen Hill, the oldest continuously operating ski area in North America.
Despite this rich heritage, women are still excluded from Olympic Nordic Combined competition. The women's World Championships only began in 2020, making this a relatively new competitive landscape for elite female athletes. However, the sport has made remarkable progress in a short time, the talent is undeniable, and the potential for these women to add to the U.S. medal count is real. Right now, three American women, Alexa Brabec, Annika Malacinski, and Tara Geraghty-Moats rank 2nd, 10th, and 11th in the world, respectively. All three U.S. women would be serious medal contenders if given the opportunity to compete at the Olympics. We are also deeply concerned by reports suggesting the International Olympic Committee (IOC) may remove men's Nordic Combined rather than add the women's event. This would erase a century-old Olympic tradition instead of expanding opportunity. While Nordic Combined doesn't command the audience that figure skating or alpine skiing do, legacy sports are the very essence of what makes the Olympic movement meaningful. They tell the story of where we've been and who we are.
Women's Nordic Combined deserves a place in the Olympics, and expanding that opportunity for these athletes is the right choice over eliminating tradition.
We would welcome the opportunity to discuss how we might work together to achieve this important goal.
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