STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — The inclusion of nordic combined, and for the first time, women's nordic combined in the 2030 Winter Olympics will be decided on later this month.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will meet in Lausanne, Switzerland June 22-25. During that time, they are expected to decide whether women’s nordic combined will be added to the 2030 Olympic Winter Games Program and if the sport will be included at all.
The sport is a mix of ski jumping and cross country skiing. 21-year-old Alexa Brabec is a top nordic combined athlete from Steamboat Springs, Colorado. She says while it was exciting to watch male nordic combined athletes during the most recent Winter Olympics, she wants women to be able to compete as well.
“Of course it’s disappointing watching and having to sit on the sidelines knowing that we are training and doing everything the same as the men and just don’t have that opportunity to compete," Alexa said.
Alexa's mother, Jill Brabec, is president of Nordic Combined USA. She says the IOC initially argued that the competition level of women's nordic combined was not adequate. She is hopeful the committee will come to "the right decision."
“If you look at the top 10 women, they are from seven different countries," Jill said. "That means we have a broad participation of countries and we have a high level of competition, those are the two key things that the IOC has been looking for.”
Currently, nordic combined is the only Winter Olympic sport without a women's discipline.
Email Senior Reporter Meghan Glova at meghan.glova@koaa.com.
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