November 28, 2006 – Pending final agreement from Vancouver 2010, the 2010 Olympic Winter Games could be the first to feature the exciting new event of ski cross. The International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Executive Board made the decision today in Kuwait City. Format changes to skeleton and the speed skating team pursuit events were also recommended.

The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) had previously communicated to the IOC its acceptance in principle of ski cross and the format changes to skeleton and speed skating team pursuit subject to working cooperatively with the IOC and the international sport federations to address any resulting operational and financial impacts.

VANOC will work closely with the IOC and the international sport federations to assess these recommended changes to the 2010 sport program and hopes to reach a recommendation by the end of the year to be formally presented at the January meeting of the VANOC Board of Directors.

“Ski cross at the 2010 Winter Games would be a great and exciting new addition to our sport program,” said Cathy Priestner Allinger, VANOC’s executive vice-president of sport. “Elite skiers would compete on the biggest stage in the world and spectators would enjoy a fast, entertaining and dynamic competition.”

The ski cross discipline falls within the sport of freestyle skiing and is similar to the highly popular snowboard cross event which successfully debuted at the Torino 2006 Games. The ski cross event features a mass start of four skiers who race against each other through a steep and winding course of rolling terrain. Ski cross competitions will be held on the same course as snowboard cross and the track will require only minor course alterations using snow. Approximately 32 men and 16 women will compete in ski cross at Cypress Mountain.

The format change to skeleton will see athletes increase their competition runs from two to four, while the minor format change to speed skating pursuit will be related to the in-Games qualifying procedure.

Other sport disciplines that were considered but not recommended by the IOC for the 2010 sport program included, curling mixed doubles, biathlon mixed relay, bobsleigh and skeleton team competition, luge team competition, alpine skiing nation team event and women’s ski jumping..

“We have consistently supported the inclusion of women’s ski jumping in the 2010 program and these young women are understandably disappointed with today’s decision,” continued Priestner Allinger. “Their commitment to raising their sport to Olympic calibre is commendable and we encourage them to continue their campaign for inclusion in the 2014 Winter Games program.”

VANOC is responsible for the planning, organizing, financing and staging of the XXI Olympic Winter Games and the X Paralympic Winter Games in 2010. The 2010 Olympic Winter Games will be staged in Vancouver and Whistler from February 12 to 28, 2010. Vancouver and Whistler will host the Paralympic Winter Games from March 12 to 21, 2010.

Background, courtesy IOC: http://www.olympic.org/uk/news/media_centre/index_uk.asp

Vancouver 2010 Programme – Events and Disciplines

The Executive Board decided to maintain the events included for the first time in Turin (Speed Skating – Team Pursuit, Biathlon – Mass Start, Cross Country Skiing – Team Sprint, and Snowboard – Snowboard Cross) on the programme of the Olympic Winter Games.

In addition, seven proposals to include new events have been studied by the Olympic Programme Commission according to a list of criteria as outlined below:

– Events must have a recognized international standing both numerically and geographically, and have been included at least twice in world and continental championships

– Global public and media interest in a sport must be considered as key elements in the analysis of sports for these are fundamental elements in the success of the Games

– The social value of a sport (e.g. elements of environmental impacts, athletes’ health, education, non-discrimination, fair-play and solidarity), should be considered

– To be considered for admission to the Olympic Programme, a sport must show a direct emphasis on youth and development

– The judging and adjudicating system of a sport must ensure objectivity, fairness and transparency

The EB followed the recommendations of the Olympic Programme Commission and took the following decisions:

– to include – if VANOC also agrees – the event of Ski Cross which meets all the criteria listed above and whose appeal to the youth has grown tremendously over the last year

– not to include the events of Biathlon Mixed Relay, Bobsleigh and Skeleton Team Competition, Luge Team Competition, and Alpine Skiing Nation Team Event as these events would only allow the same athletes already participating in an individual event to take part in another event and win more medals.

– not to include Curling Mixed Doubles and Women Ski Jumping as their development is still in the early stage thus lacking the international spread of participation and technical standard required for an event to be included in the programme.

The EB noted that it would be closely following the development of Women Ski Jumping with a view of its inclusion in future Olympic Games.

Quotas are still under discussion with IFs and will be finalized once the decision on events has been made.