all downhill from here?

May 22, 2008

The effort to get women’s downhill skiing into the 2010 Olympics is now international. Yesterday, a group of jumpers from around the world filed a lawsuit to either get women into the games, or pull the men’s competition out.

According to CTV, “[t]he International Olympic Committee says it’s holding a men’s only competition in 2010 because the women’s sport is not developed enough.”

In January, the federal government had promised competitors in this country that it would take up the issue with the committee.

Again, according to CTV:

The lack of female competitors in Olympic ski jumping is an accident of history. Any new Olympic event added since 1991 must include a competition for men and women.

But ski jumping has been an Olympic sport since the 1924 Olympics, excluding the sport from the gender-equality requirement.

Gosh, time passes. This must be getting embarrassing. For someone. No? As quoted previously on our blog:

I’ve grown up in Canada where I’ve been treated equal my whole life. ... I come here and I do this sport and I put my whole life into it and Canada’s hosting these Games in 2010 and I can’t be here because I’m a girl.

— Zoya Lynch, a 16-year-old Canadian ski jumper

Wouldn’t it be nice if we got it together enough to have a different kind of message for Zoya and other girls around the world? Like that the fogies know this is the 21st century?

Guys, remember when it was all icky to see ladies on bicycles? Well, it looks like you are kind of stuck back there. Catch up! It’ll be fun!

sources

Women ski jumpers file lawsuit against VANOC, CTV.ca | May 22, 2008
Women’s lib arrived on bicycles, By Christopher Connolly, CNN.com | May 20, 2008