Women receive a boost, nordic combined survives, and ski mountaineering debuts as IOC set sports program for 2026 Winter Olympics

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board finalized numerous changes to the sports program for the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics on Friday. Among the most significant changes were an increase in women’s events, the continued inclusion of nordic combined, and the debut of ski mountaineering.

In total eight new events were added to the sports program, with one event dropped from the program with a possible replacement to be approved by the IOC Executive Board at a later date. The changes to the sports program were also reflected in the composition of athlete quotas for the Games, with the IOC inching closer to gender parity.

The participation rate of female athletes will improve by 1.4 percent from Beijing 2022 to Milano-Cortina 2026. The overall participation of female athletes at the Winter Olympic Games now stands at 47 percent of the total athletes present at the Games.

“We have made significant progress to close the gender gap at the Olympic Winter Games,” said IOC President Thomas Bach. “We are moving from 40 per cent female participation at Sochi 2014 to 47 per cent in Milano Cortina.”

“We are committed to continuing to advance gender equality, and Milano Cortina will be another key milestone in this endeavour,” concluded Bach.

The increased participation of female athletes doesn’t mean that the winter sports program is free of inequality. Nordic combined is set to a remain closed to the female athletes in 2026 after a proposal to include women’s events was rejected by the IOC Executive Board.

Karl Stoss, Chair of the Olympic Program Commission, explained the reasoning behind that decision, stating, ‘the specific argument to keep Nordic combined [in the] Olympic program for Milano-Cortina 2026 was the situation of the male athletes for whom the Olympic Games are only three and a half years away, and who have already been preparing for these Games for many years.”

“This deliberation is not applicable for the women’s category as they have had only one world championship to date, with the participation of athletes from only ten national federations,” said Stoss.

He added, “the inclusion of Nordic combined in the Olympic Winter [Games] program 2030 depends on a significant positive development. Particularly, with regard to participation and audience.”

Lasse Ottesen, Race Director of Nordic Combined for the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS), expressed his dismay at the decision, commenting, “it’s a sad day for Nordic Combined and the entire Nordic family.”

“We have absolutely no understanding of today’s decision by the IOC. The development of the Nordic Combined women in recent years has been more than impressive, so that the next logical step would have been their participation in the OWG.”

“The [IOC] Executive Board’s lack of confidence in the further development of our discipline and the visible misjudgment of the achievements of our women is shocking,” stated Ottesen. “Especially since they are already part of the Olympic family through their participation in the Youth Olympic Games.”

He vowed to continue to push for the inclusion of women’s Nordic combined, adding, we accept the decision with a heavy heart, but we are not giving up. FIS will now sit down together with the National Ski Associations to create a concept to convince the IOC of the value and attractiveness of our discipline.”

Uncertainty also hung over alpine skiing, with the mixed team parallel event being dropped after only two appearances at the Winter Olympics. The FIS stated this was due to “travel logistics between the venues,” but the decision left the status of two alpine combined events unclear after Friday’s meeting.

The FIS said in a statement that it will propose the addition of an alpine combined team event to program in lieu of the mixed team parallel event. However, this may be a tough sell as those events were the least populated in alpine skiing during the last edition of the Winter Olympics in Beijing.

Stoss provided an update on the situation during a press conference on Friday, “the IOC EB, upon recommendation of the Olympic Program Commission, decided to include men’s and women’s alpine combined events only provisionally.”

“This will allow the [FIS] additional time to finalize the competition format proposal and to collect feedback from relevant stakeholders, including the FIS Athletes Commission.”

He concluded, “a final decision on alpine combined events is expected no later than April 2023.”

Elsewhere, it was delight for the FIS. The federation gained a pair of dual moguls events, one per gender, in freestyle skiing, as well as the inclusion of women’s large hill in ski jumping.

Likewise, it was good news for the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF), who saw their program of events increase with the inclusion of a mixed team skeleton event. IBSF President Ivo Ferriani stated, “this shows the amazing work that has gone into the development of skeleton by our national federations and IBSF staff.”

“For our sliding family this is a great achievement and a day to celebrate as with Milano Cortina 2026 all our athletes have the equal chance to compete in two events,” added Ferriani.

The International Luge Federation (FIL) was also in a celebratory mood after the inclusion of women’s doubles was confirmed. FIL President Einars Fogelis commented, “this important decision of the IOC offers an additional medal opportunity for our women and thus gives absolutely equal consideration to the gender equality in the sport of luge.”

“In addition, our national federations will of course have another medal chance at Olympic Games and thus more TV and media presence and attention due to an additional event.”

“Since no new sports venue is required for our latest competition, we fulfill the points of the Olympic Agenda 2020+5 here, which makes me particularly happy,” concluded Fogelis.

Ski Mountaineering was also confirmed for its debut at the Winter Olympic Games, with three events added to the sports program for Milano-Cortina 2026. Stoss noted, “it is a new sport, and it is since 1998, the first new sport at [the] Winter Olympic Games.”

Like everything on the sports program, it will be under the microscope as the IOC considers the sports program for the 2030 Winter Olympics.

An announcement regarding the host of the 2030 Winter Olympics may come as soon as the next IOC Session in Mumbai next year. Until then, athletes, coaches, and officials can set their sights solely on Milano-Cortina.