On June 2, Nordic Combined USA, a nonprofit dedicated to funding elite Nordic combined skiers and helping develop emerging ones in the United States, announced they believe the International Olympic Committee, known as the IOC, will decide on the sport’s future at their upcoming meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland, June 24-25.
According to Nordic Combined USA, the IOC is weighing whether to add women’s Nordic combined to the 2030 Olympic program, something they’ve never done before, or to cut Nordic combined entirely from the Games.
Nordic combined is struggling to survive largely because of its lengthy nature, where athletes ski jump then cross country ski, oftentimes at different venues with long breaks between the two, making it hard to sell on TV.
Nordic Combined USA and their President Jill Brabec are optimistic the IOC will add women to the 2030 field. Brabec’s daughter Alexa Brabec is the second-ranked women’s Nordic combined skier in the world. The organization has been working to promote the sport ahead of the IOC decision.
“We’re waiting with bated breath,” Brabec said. “We’re thinking the decision will either be on June 23 or 24, as we’ve been told. … The IOC is pretty tight-lipped, so we really don’t have a strong indication (of which way they’re leaning).”
Brabec said Nordic combined women not being included in the 2030 Olympics or the sport being entirely excluded would be disappointing and surprising. Nordic Combined USA says they submitted a media and engagement report to the IOC in the past year detailing 10 billion media impressions for the sport. According to the organization, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper have shown support for the sport’s inclusion in the Olympics.
“The women have progressed more than I think was anticipated for their gender in the sport,” Brabec said. “I think that’s a huge indicator (of the sport’s growth). The IOC was looking for broader depth of participation at the top level by different countries; they don’t want to see it simply dominated by Norway or Germany. I’m really proud because the U.S. is part of this, and right now we have seven different nations in the top 10 (individually) for women’s Nordic combined.”
The U.S. women have three skiers in the top 12 of the World Cup standings including Alexa Brabec. Niklas Malacinski is the highest-ranked U.S. man in the world at 23.
Brabec said the IOC cutting Nordic combined from the Olympics would be a huge disincentive for young skiers to continue with the sport. She said World Cups are great, but ultimately everyone wants to wind up in the Games.
“I am not even allowing myself to contemplate the decision going the wrong way,” Brabec said. “Certainly, if it happens, we will deal with it. … The place we want to put our energy is building the sport, and that’s what comes out of a positive decision.”
Brabec believes IOC and U.S. government support of the sport would allow Nordic Combined USA and others to improve training facilities around the country. Nordic Combined USA has a development coach, Michael Ward, dedicated to bolstering the sport’s pipeline in the U.S. Countries like Norway, Germany and Austria litter the top of the World Cup standings.
“I didn’t see myself in this role,” Brabec said. “I wanted to be your typical parent volunteer and bring orange slices and fill water bottles. But because both of my daughters loved the sport and were pretty committed to it … when things needed a little bit of an extra push, I got involved with a number of other parents because I don’t want to see it die.”
Brabec has seen the confidence her daughters have developed by pushing onward in such a tough sport with an uncertain future.
“The Olympic dream is not an abstract idea for Nordic combined athletes,” Alexa Brabec said. “It is the reason we have spent years, often decades, training, competing, failing, growing and believing. Nordic combined has shaped who we are. We hope the IOC will see not only the history of this sport, but the future waiting for the young boys and girls who still dream of standing on the Olympic stage.”