Which issue did ski jumping athletes protest over at the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver?
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Women won't ski jump in the Winter Olympics in Vancouver next year. A justice at the British Columbia Supreme Court has ruled that failing to hold a ski jumping competition for women constitutes discrimination — but there's nothing Canadian courts can do about it. Show Fifteen women sued the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympics because the Vancouver games are men-only when it comes to ski jumping. The women argued that the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms bars gender discrimination by government agencies and groups performing government functions. Justice Lauri Ann Fenlon ruled that the committee is governed by the anti-discrimination language in the Canadian Charter, but that it is not responsible for the exclusion of women from the ski jumping competition and is powerless to change that decision. "The IOC [International Olympic Committee] made a decision that discriminates against the plaintiffs," Fenlon wrote. "Only the IOC can alleviate that discrimination by including an Olympic ski jumping event for women in the 2010 Games." Fenlon added that the Canadian charter does not apply to a non-Canadian entity such as the IOC. "I'm shocked and disappointed," says Deedee Corradini of Women Ski Jumping USA. But "there is a moral victory here," she adds, given the court's clear finding that the IOC discriminates. "That's what we've been contending all along. So our hope is that the IOC will admit that this is discrimination and end it. The time has come." IOC Stance Appears Firm Based on a statement issued after the ruling, the IOC isn't inclined to change its position. "While we are pleased that the Games can now proceed as planned," the statement reads, "we strongly disagree with the court's analysis that the IOC acted in a discriminatory manner." It repeats the IOC's explanation for the decision not to include women's ski jumping in the 2010 Winter Games: "Our decision was based on technical issues, without regard to gender." Those technical issues include the number of women ski jumping at an elite level and the number of countries competing in the sport. IOC officials have argued that too few women and countries compete to justify Olympic competition. Fenlon addressed that directly in her ruling: "If the IOC had applied the criteria for admission of new events to both men's and women's ski jumping events," she wrote, "neither group would be competing in the 2010 Games." Men's ski jumping has always been part of the Winter Olympics and remains by virtue of tradition. That "grandfathering" of the men's event, while excluding a women's event, "discriminates against the plaintiffs in a substantive sense," Fenlon concludes. Games On Soft Moral Ground? Ski jumping is the last Winter Olympics sport closed to women. "I just don't know why this is the last step, why it's so hard to take," says Anita DeFrantz, a former Olympic rower and a veteran IOC member from the United States. "There are women athletes there who deserve to show their skills and accomplishment, as the men do, on the Olympic platform." The ruling means that the ski jumper who holds the distance record on the K95 "normal hill" in Vancouver won't get to compete at the games. Lindsey Van, 24, of Park City, Utah, has jumped farther than any man on the Olympic hill. Van will watch on television as men try to beat her record at February's games. She's looking ahead to 2014, but she's not sure she can last that long in the sport given the lack of financial support for non-Olympic athletes. "When you get into a sport of this caliber at a high level, people are making money through sponsors," Van says. "But it's hard to get a sponsor if you're not in the Olympics." In Canada, there's concern that the ruling leaves the Olympics there on soft moral ground. "If these were black Canadians and Jewish Canadians being excluded from the event, it would be intolerable," says Margot Young, who teaches constitutional and equality law at the University of British Columbia. "We should raise questions about what is going on at the Olympics." The Vancouver Organizing Committee had supported the inclusion of a women's event in the 2010 ski jumping competition. In a statement, committee CEO John Furlong said, "We will continue to do everything we can to help these athletes achieve inclusion in future Games." (Repeats to broaden distribution) VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 30 (Reuters) - Organizers of the 2010 Winter Olympics asked a Canadian court on Friday to dismiss a lawsuit over the lack of a women’s ski jumping event at the Games, and said that international Olympic officials are not bound by Canada’s Charter of Rights. The Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC) said the lawsuit, filed by a group of U.S. and European female ski jumpers, is also
aimed at the wrong target, because the local committee officials do not control what sports are included in the Games. “The plaintiffs have sued the wrong defendant,” VANOC said in a statement of defense filed with the British Columbia Supreme Court in Vancouver. The women went to court this month saying they were being discriminated against because the Olympic Games allows male ski jumpers to compete but there is no corresponding competition for female athletes. Ski jumping
has been an Olympic sport since 1924, and is one of the few to not have both a men’s and women’s competition. The women sued VANOC on the grounds that, because it was responsible for pursuing a public policy of promoting the 2010 Games, it was bound by Canada’s constitutional guarantees of equal rights, just like any other government entity. VANOC, which has representatives of the federal and provincial governments on its board of directors, along with Olympic officials, said it is not part of the government and any decision about which events are held in 2010 are not considered public policy. The local officials said their only job was to make sure the facilities are ready and to host the Games, but they follow the orders of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on what competitions will be held. “The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms has no application to the IOC, which is not a Canadian entity,” VANOC said in the two-page court filing. The IOC has refused to allow women’s ski jumping as an Olympic sport on the grounds there are not enough women competing on an international level, and that including the event would “dilute” the value of all Olympic medals. The women say opponents are just being sexist and there are more female ski jumpers than women competing in other Olympic sports, such as women’s ski cross, which will make its debut at the 2010 Games. VANOC says in the court document it is trying to encourage the development of women's ski jumping by allowing both male and female athletes to train at the recently completed jump site to be used in the Games. ("Countdown to Beijing Olympics" blog at blogs.reuters.com/china) for-phone-onlyfor-tablet-portrait-upfor-tablet-landscape-upfor-desktop-upfor-wide-desktop-up How did the Vancouver Olympics affect Canada?From inspiring the growth of winter sports across Canada to fuelling lasting community, transport and environmental improvements throughout the region, the Games yielded a legacy that stands strong today. From 12 to 28 February 2010, 2,566 athletes participated in 86 events at the Games.
Was the Vancouver Olympics successful?It was regarded by the Olympic Committee to be among the most successful Olympic games in history, in both attendance and coverage. Approximately 2,600 athletes from 82 nations participated in 86 events in fifteen disciplines.
Which organization is not an association of international federations recognized by the IOC?The ARISF's members are international sports federations recognised by the IOC that currently do not compete in either the Summer or Winter Olympics. Becoming a member of this organization does not imply or guarantee that the sport will be included in future Olympic games.
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Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations.. What is the name of the policy promoted in Singapore to pursue excellence in sport?In January 2000, SPEX 2000 was renamed SPEX 21. Today, the sports excellence programme is implemented under the High Performance Sports (HPS) system. Introduced in February 2013, the HPS system provides the pathway and support for Singapore athletes to achieve sporting success at major games.
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