Women ski jumpers eye 2010 Olympics

WHISTLER, British Columbia — The president of Women's Ski Jumping USA called for the federal and provincial governments and Vancouver organizers to push the International Olympic Committee to add women's ski jumping to the 2010 Winter Games.

Deedee Corradini, the mayor of Salt Lake City when the city secured the 2002 Winter Games, noted $580 million of Canadian taxpayer money has helped the Vancouver Olympic Games Organizing Committee build Olympic facilities.

"My understanding is it's against federal and provincial law in Canada to spend government money on facilities that discriminate," Corradini said Saturday during a news conference at the Canadian ski jumping championships.

"To have a men's only sign on these ski jumps seems to be discriminatory and contrary to Canada's own human rights act."

The IOC voted against allowing women's ski jumping in Vancouver, arguing the sport isn't developed enough and that it doesn't meet the basic criteria for inclusion.

Corradini said statistics show there are more women ski jumpers in the world than female athletes in other Winter Olympic sports. The first women's world championships will be held next year, and there will be four world junior championships before 2010.

"Our hope is that VANOC and the federal government and the provincial government could all get together," she said. "The facts are there. (Maybe) the IOC misunderstood the facts. If they could be convinced how the sport has grown, maybe we could persuade them that (women jumpers) will be ready in 2010.

"I think Canada is the key as a host country. The U.S. can't do it; other countries around the world can't make this change. It has to be Canada because you are hosting the Games."

Harry Bains, a member of the British Columbia legislature and the provincial NDP's Olympic critic, said keeping women ski jumpers out of the Games goes against Canadian values of equality and inclusion.

"I think it's high time all levels of government and VANOC gets serious about this issue and brings the equality back," said Bains, who joined Corradini in front of the ski jump hill that will be used for the 2010 Games.

David Emerson, Canada's federal minister responsible for the 2010 Games, said it's "extremely disappointing" women are not being allowed to ski jump at the Olympics.

"Ski jumping is an important sport and we're investing a lot in jumping and training facilities in Canada and to not have women able to participate on the same basis as men, to me, I just don't think it's right," he told reporters at Vancouver International Airport before leaving on a trade mission to Asia.