Women’s ski jumping has finally been accepted in to the 2014 Winter Olympics, but only after a long battle. We take a closer look at the fight to include women’s ski jumping in the Olympics.
May 26, 2006
The International Ski Federation (FIS) votes to add an individual women’s ski jumping event to the 2009 World Championships in Liberec, Czech Republic. In order for a sport to obtain Olympic status, it must have an individual event in the World Championships.
November 28, 2006
An International Olympic Committee meeting is held in Kuwait City. Women’s ski jumping fails to make the cut for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
January 8, 2008
Vancouver 2010 organizers say they are prepared to discuss government requests to allow women’s ski jumping at the Winter Olympics. The announcement comes after the federal and B.C. governments officially supported the move.
January 15, 2008
BC Premier Gordon Campbell says that the International Olympic Committee is "reconsidering" whether to allow women’s ski-jumping at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games.
February 27, 2008
Vancouver City Council joins the federal and provincial governments in supporting a bid to have women’s ski jumping named an official event at the 2010 Olympic Games.
May 21, 2008
Nine current and former ski jumpers from the United States, Norway, Austria, Germany and Canada launch a lawsuit against VANOC, alleging violations of the Canadian Charter.
June 1, 2008
Vancouver 2010 asks the B.C. Supreme Court to dismiss the lawsuit filed by several women ski jumpers claiming that the organizing committee was in breach of the Charter.
February 18, 2009
Women’s ski jumping debuts at the world championships in Liberec, Czech Republic. American Lindsey Van wins the first gold medal in the event.
March 4, 2009
Metro Vancouver MP Dawn Black puts forward a motion in the House of Commons calling on the federal government to demand that women ski jumpers be allowed to compete at the 2010 Olympics.
April 20, 2009
Canadian and international women’s ski jumpers appear in a Vancouver, BC court seeking a ruling that women be allowed to compete in the event at the Olympics.
They claim that their exclusion by the IOC is a violation of Canadian human rights laws.
April 21, 2009
Five Calgary ski jumpers seek to join the 10 other women already involved in the lawsuit against VANOC.
Among them are Nata de Leeuw, 18, who is ranked fifth in the world and 17-year-old Katie Willis, who finished 19th in this year’s world championships in the Czech Republic.
April 23, 2009
VANOC lawyer George Macintosh says that a victory for women’s ski jumpers trying to be included in the 2010 Olympics could spell the end of the Games in Canada.
"It is very unlikely the Games would be held in Canada again in the foreseeable future" if VANOC departed from its signed contract with the International Olympic Committee, he said in a written argument.
April 27, 2009
After five days of hearings, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Lauri Ann Fenlon says the issues behind the case are "very complex" and that she needs time to consider all the arguments.
July 10, 2009
The B.C. Supreme Court rejects an application from 15 female ski jumpers asking that either they be allowed to compete at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver or that all ski jumping events be cancelled.
Dec. 22, 2009:
The Supreme Court of Canada announces that it will not hear an appeal from the group of ski jumpers.
October, 2010:
The IOC says it was “looking favourably” on adding seven new sports to its roster, including women’s jumping.
April 6, 2011:
The IOC approves the inclusion of women’s ski jumping and four other new events (ski halfpipe, mixed relay in biathlon and team events in luge and figure skating) for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.
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