How High Must Women Jump?

The ski jump is scored on distance and style.

On distance, women have come a long way.  Ski jumping is the single remaining Winter Olympics sport closed to women.

On style, women will severely fall short.  No female competitor will bring home Olympic gold in 2010 from a ski jump event. 

In November 2006, the Executive Board of the International Olympics Committee (IOC) rejected the establishment of a women's ski jumping event in the 2010 Olympics on the grounds of a technicality involving the number of "qualified" women ski jumpers and the number of countries representing the sport.  The point of contention lies in the exception made for men's ski jumping. 

According to the International Ski Federation:
Number of registered male ski jumpers = 58% of the required universality under Rule 47 of the Olympic Charter.
Number of registered female ski jumpers = 52% of the required universality under Rule 47 of the Olympic Charter.

Both do not meet the minimum participation requirements, but men's ski jumping is "grandfathered" as part of the Olympic games, having been admitted prior to 1949. 

Consider 1949, when women were widely excluded from competing in many Olympic sports due to gender-biased beliefs and descriptives such as "inappropriate" and "at risk."

Fast forward fifty years to 2009.

15 female ski jumpers from five different countries brought their case to the Supreme Court of British Columbia, citing gender discrimination.

The decision by British Columbia Supreme Court Justice Lauri Ann Fenlon denied a challenge to the Vancouver Organizing Committee's ability to reverse the decision of the IOC.  In her ruling, she expressed that "the plaintiffs will be denied this opportunity for no reason other than their sex," but that the IOC was subject to neither the jurisdiction of the British Columbia Supreme Court nor the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

There are questions of civil rights and discrimination issues taking place around the world on a daily basis.  This particular case has received a great deal of attention due to the nearness of the 2010 Olympics and the documented progress of International Women's Ski Jumping since 1994.  This is bigger than the sport, however.  This and every cause brought to light will allow future generations of men and women of all backgrounds to compete on equal platforms of distance and style.  And when they jump, they shouldn’t have to ask, “how high?” 

As of the writing of this entry:
Women will not be allowed to compete in the category of ski jump in the 2010 Olympics.
The plaintiffs have not declared whether they will seek to appeal the court ruling.
10,953 people signed the petition to "Let Women Ski Jump in 2010"

References & Links of Interest

Judge Fenlon's 42-pg ruling:
http://www.vancouver2010.com/dl/00/69/78/-/69784/prop=data/1y2401t/69784.pdf

To sign the petition:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/2/let-women-ski-jump-in-2010

To support and fund the U.S. Women Ski Jumpers:
http://www.womensskijumpingusa.com/

The IOC's response to the BC Supreme Court ruling:
http://www.olympic.org/uk/news/olympic_news/full_story_uk.asp?id=3064

Amenda-Ming Chen
Aon Consulting
WIN- Los Angeles

Comments

[LETINA WISE]

I WOULD HAVE TO AGREE. WOMEN ARE JUDGED BASED ON THEIR GENDER EVERDAY. THIS IS WRONG. WE HAS JUST AS MANY QUALIFICATIONS AS MAN.IF WE HAVE THAT SAME PASSION FOR THE JOB, WE SHOULD BE LOOKED AT THE SAME.HAVING MORE WOMEN IN THE WORKFORCE MAKES IT MORE DIVERSED.

[Carimar]

It is amazing to see how we are living in the 21st century and we are still discriminating because of the sex of a person. As a woman, i think we have come a long way of proving ourselves as equals whether at the workplace, in the community and sports among others. In my opinion more credit should be given to women that practice sports because it requires endurance, physical challenges that even men encounter and women are able t prove they can and not just try but win also. This isn't the 18th hundreds or anything like that, we have all evolved, our way of thinking and functioning in the society, we see men staying at home to take of the kids and women practicing sports. So what is one more sport event to add, let us try and do it if we can prove we can.

[Carimar]

It is amazing to see how we are living in the 21st century and we are still discriminating because of the sex of a person. As a woman I think we have come a long way of proving ourselves as equals whether at the workplace, in the community and sports among others. In my opinion more credit should be given to women that practice sports because it requires endurance, physical challenges that even men encounter and women are able to prove they can and not just try but win also. This isn't the 18th hundreds or anything like that, we have all evolved, our way of thinking and function in the society, we see men staying at home to take care of the kids and women practicing sports. So what is one more sport event to add, let us try and do it if we can prove we can.

[Elizabeth]

I totally agree! I know that women’s rights have come a long way in many aspects in life. As a college athlete I find it so hard to believe that with all of the cases of equal rights for men and women that at the highest stage of athletics they are still holding women back because of their sex. I feel like this male dominated society needs to give into the fact that women these days are not the women of the past. We are smart, driven, and passionate about what we believe in. So let us join the race because I think we would give you a run for your money.

[Aaron]

I think these are changing times. I do think that a more diverse world and workplace is taking baby steps towards a better time. I also think that this is a relevent and accredited argument. These are issues that need to be addressed. A human being should not be judged by their color, gender, race, or where they come from. They should be judged by their performance and by their actions.

[Ladies&Gentlemen]

This is such a classic case. It really saddens me to see that even now in these supposedly advanced times with all the equality and LAWS set out to say a person's gender does not define their ability, women still fall short. With every other sport men and women compete seperately, so why not here? It should be skill that decides an atheletes admittance into a specific event, not sex. No human being should be bound by what they are, regardless of gender, race, or religion. MANY things have changed since 1949 and, in my opinion, this should be the next.

[Tif]

Why do women have a constant barrier that needs to be broken down? It will happen. Women will be able to ski jump one day. Maybe not this year but it will happen. Women are becoming more dominate in the work place, sports, and still maintaining the household. Women don't get all the opportunities as men but that doesn't stop us from taking them. What are they protecting us from? Nothing. They are just scared that we will win...again.

[Haley]

I definitely agree with what they are trying to get accomplished. You would think that by 2010 people would understand that discrimination between men, women, race, or gender has stopped. Do to our past and all the great accomplishments people have made over the years, why are people still questioning if women could compete or not. Women have proved themselves time to time that we can do anything a man can do! So why not let women have the chance to shine? I hope eventually that these women will have the chance to compete and that one day people will realize that discrimination of all kinds needs to come to an end!

[Brian Stevenson]

I would have to agree 100%. How can women be denied the right to perform in a sport? Women are physically just as capable as guys and should be allowed to do anything and every sport guys do. I wonder how the doors to the sport remain closed, I figure it's just common sense that they be opened to avoid lawsuits and tainting the olympics name. I thought we were past sexism in this country... no?

[CDR]

Lack of integration of diversity has plagued the athletic arena since the beginning of organized athletics, and it continues to limit people from equal participation. Women and people from select countries have been turned away from Olympic competition since its start decades ago, and this discrimination needs to be addressed. There are obvious missing pieces of information as to why certain groups of people are banned from certain events/competitions, but this subject continues to be taboo and hush-hush, thus halting forward progression. People must be made aware of the inequality poisoning the Olympic athletics system, and with this knowledge will come empowerment to make a change. Active steps must be taken in order to renew the honesty of elite athletic competition. Athletics in itself is made out of truth and honesty. The person with the farthest jump or the fastest time takes home the gold medal despite his or her gender, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status. There are no loopholes or special circumstances which allows one to favor one person to win over the other. No vote. Everyone has an equal chance at achieving greatness, and this concept needs to be brought back to the forefront of the Olympic policy maker's minds.

[Rachael]

I agree completely. People should not be denied something that they are good at, or something that they have a passion for because of what they look like or where they come from. Everyone, and that means everyone should be allowed to compete whether male or female. Gender discrimination is unfair and wrong.

[Kylee]

I most definately agree. Many people miss out on amazing opportunities because of where they come from, what they look like, or how much money they have. I have seen situations like this time after time and it's funny to me that people do not take the time to stop and think how they would feel in certain situations before they act upon them. Many people are not open to diversity and in some cases, that is rather sad.