With eligibility of both women’s ski jumping and women’s hockey being called into question for the 2014 Olympic games, we have to ask: what role does sexism play in determining Olympic sports?
In 2006, the International Olympic Committee voted not to include women;s ski jumping in the 2010 games on the grounds that there simply weren’t enough qualified skiers. Since this decision, American ski jumper Lindsey Van has been trying to convince the IOC that they’re ready and eligible to compete.
In 2009, Van and 14 other athletes filed a lawsuit against the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 games. They argued that, since Canada has laws against gender discrimination, government-funded organizations like the VANOC should not be able to discriminate against women on the basis of sex either. Although the court ruled that they were victims of gender discrimination, they found that the IOC was not covered under Canada's charter, and not subject to Canadian law. Basically, ski jumpers are shit outta luck.
Full story: Competing While Female: On The Winter Olympics & Women’s Sports – Olympics – Jezebel