Nordic combined, lone Winter Games sport without gender equity, faces shaky Olympic future

Nordic combined has a rich history in the Olympics and potentially, a bleak future.

Since the first Winter Games in 1924, the unique sport has tested the bravery and endurance of athletes in ski jumping and cross-country skiing.

A year from now, it might be a former Olympic sport.

"That's a big concern, or a big issue, that we talk about," four-time Olympic champion Joergen Graabak of Norway said in an interview with The Associated Press.

Nordic combined is scheduled to wrap up competition at the Milan-Cortina Olympics on Feb. 19, 2026, and that may be its finale on the world stage.

The International Olympic Committee will make the call in June, when it decides which events will be part of its program at the 2030 French Alps Winter Games.

The sport might not make the cut at least in part to end conversations about its gender inequities during an era in which women have made strides in sports across the globe.

Nordic combined is the only Winter Olympic sport that excludes a gender, giving men an opportunity to go for gold while women are relegated to watching. The International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) plans to apply for women's nordic combined to become an Olympic sport, but not until the summer of 2026.

The IOC is proud to say the 2026 Winter Games will be the most gender-balanced, hailing the fact that 47 per cent of the athletes will be female.

While the governing body could decide to give women a chance at Olympic gold in nordic combined, it could also choose to eliminate the sport from the program in five years.

FIS, national governing bodies, athletes, coaches and advocates are doing what they can to salvage the sport on the Olympic level. They have increased the number of participating skiers along with