The news, which was unveiled at a media briefing during the SportAccord Convention in London, will come as a huge boost to athletes who have fought a long-running battle for inclusion alongside their male counterparts. Women’s ski jumping was not included in the programme for last year's Vancouver Games and the lead-up to the event saw athletes unsuccessfully sue organisers on the grounds of alleged gender discrimination.
The IOC’s announcement leaves Nordic combined as the only event without male and female participation and Lindsey Van, one of the most prominent figures in the calls for Olympic status for women’s ski jumping, has hailed the decision.
"I am thrilled the IOC decided to add our sport," said the 2009 ski jumping world champion, in quotes reported by Reuters. "Women's ski jumping has been growing for the past 10 years, but inclusion in the Olympics is what our sport needed to take the next step.”
Along with women’s ski jumping, ski half-pipe (men and women), biathlon mixed relay, figure skating team event and luge team relay have also been added to the Sochi 2014 programme.
The decision to include the new events was based on a report presented by the Olympic Programme Commission (OPC) to the IOC Executive Board in Acapulco in October. Five other events – ski slopestyle (men and women), snowboard slopestyle (men and women), and Alpine team parallel competition – are subject to a further feasibility study with a decision expected by June.
