March 19, 2009 (Ottawa, ON) – CAAWS, the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity, has added its name to the growing number of organizations calling on the International Olympic Committee to include Women’s Ski Jumping in the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver.

CAAWS has sent a letter endorsing the resolution approved by the City of Vancouver to Dr. Jacques Rogge, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). In the letter, CAAWS Chair Nicole Smith requested that the IOC revisit its decision to exclude women’s ski jumping from the 2010 Games. The IOC will be holding a meeting in Denver, Colorado March 25th -27th, 2009.

“Despite the superb planning of the VANOC team to host these games in Canada, we feel that it would be a terrible legacy to see these games excluding the women’s ski jumping event,” said CAAWS chair Nicole Smith. “There is still time to reverse this decision, and to see these Olympic Games remembered for gender-equity, rather than for this unfortunate ruling.”

CAAWS has urged all individuals and organizations who receive its electronic newsletter to follow suit, to sign the petition at www.wsj2010.com and send a similar letter to the IOC before April 20th, 2009.

For more information, click here.