Norwegian Women's Nordic combined protest against exclusion at 2026 Olympics

Norwegian female athletes in Nordic combined protested on Saturday the decision from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) not to include the discipline in the next Winter Olympics.

At the Norwegian national season-opening race at Beitoststolen, athletes marked an X for "no eXception" with their ski poles before the start, while the winner Gyda Westvold Hansen participated with a drawn-on beard.

Women's Nordic combined will not feature in the 2026 Milan and Cortina Winter Olympics programme in Italy because it lacks universality, and the men's Olympic spot is also at risk due to low interest, the IOC said in June.

The decision means Nordic combined, where athletes compete in cross-country skiing and ski jumping, remains the only Winter Olympic discipline where women are not allowed to compete, despite now having a world championship and World Cup circuit.

"We think it's absurd that you have to look like this or have a beard to be allowed to compete in the Olympics. We hope to do something about it," Westvold Hansen told Norwegian broadcaster NRK.

"This is important for recruitment and girls to want to continue with the sport, which is so much fun. It is extremely important for the sport."