It’s all in the hands of International Olympic Committee (IOC) 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 a more in-depth look at each sport waiting for Olympic approval, but as a spokesman said via live teleconference call that things looked “favorable” for women’s ski jumping.
Six Olympic hopefuls huddled around a table at the Utah Olympic Park Monday 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 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 Lindsey Van of Park City 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.
Since 2006, women’s ski jumping has added three new participating countries: Romania, Russia and China.
“I think we can show the IOC with the increased number of countries and women, we’re going to have a great event,” Corradini said.
Corradini also mentioned that there will be a women’s World Cup circuit that will start in 2011 and they’re plans to hold three more world championships by 2014.
Van, who has been jumping for 20 years, said that she will continue to jump until her love for the sport begins to wane.
“I’m only going to jump as long as ski jumping is fun for me,” she said. “If that happens to be fun through 2014, I’ll be there. If not, I’ll be there watching.”
When asked why it’s taken so long for the sport to bust through the wall and become a certified Olympic sport, Park City jumper Jessica Jerome let her opinion be known.
“I feel like traditionally, ski jumping, it’s sort of a club, and they don’t want new members that are younger women,” said the 17-year jumping vet.
Corradini said that while Van and Jerome were asked to test the jumps when the Olympics came to Utah in 2002, they were not allowed to participate.
“This is a matter of women’s equality,” Corradini said. “It’s a human rights issue. We are the only event in the Olympics, winter or summer, that doesn’t allow women. Men have been jumping since 1924.”
“This is about what’s right.”