It’s all in the hands of International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge now.
Women ski jumpers across the globe must continue down the familiar road of wait-and-see after the IOC announced Monday in Acapulco, Mexico, that women’s ski jumping is on the fast track to being accepted as an Olympic sport, but must wait for the official decision in the spring of 2011.
For now, whether women will be flying high for a shot at an Olympic medal in 2014 in Sochi, Russia is still up in the air.
The IOC announced that it needs more in-depth looks at each sport waiting for Olympic approval, but as a spokesman said via live teleconference call, things looked “favorable” for women’s ski jumping.
Six Olympic hopefuls huddled around a table at the Utah Olympic Park hoping to hear some good news; Deedee Corradini, President of Women’s Ski Jumping USA, who sat anxiously with team members and other associates, was pleased with the outcome.
“I think this is a huge win for us,” Corradini said. “It’s exactly what we were hoping for from what we’ve been hearing from our sources over the last week or so. It’s very positive.”
Rogge, who has the been given the final say in the matter, announced that his final decision will come down after the ski jumping World Championships in late February 2011 in Oslo, Norway.
He mentioned that he wanted to see how the sport has progressed, and was adamant about making an informed decision by the end of April.
Reigning world champion and local Lindsey Van didn’t mince words when asked what her initial reaction to the IOC decision is.
“(I’m) not surprised,” Van said. “It gives them more time to look. I feel confident, but I don’t expect anything. It’s just a game I don’t want to play.”
Other sports the IOC executive board is considering for inclusion in Sochi are: ski halfpipe, ski slopestyle, snowboard slopestyle, biathlon mixed team relay, figure skating team event and luge team relay.