VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Canadian Olympic Committee and federal government officials will meet with a group of women's ski jumpers in Calgary, Alberta, today to discuss the chances of adding the sport to the 2010 Games.
The Vancouver Olympic Games Organizing Committee also will have a representative at the meeting.
Women's ski jumpers are frustrated the International Olympic Committee did not include their sport for the 2010 Games. The IOC has said its decision not to include the sport was made on "technical merit" but the women argue it's gender discrimination.
Ottawa decided to become involved in the dispute as part of a settlement after a group of ski jumpers lodged a complaint with the Canadian Human Rights Commission.
The women argued being denied the chance to compete at the Olympics was discriminatory. They also said Canadian taxpayers' money was used to build facilities for the 2010 Games and it's against federal and provincial law to spend government money on facilities that discriminate.
John Furlong, VANOC's chief executive officer, said Wednesday it's not up to the organizing committee to decide which sports will be included in 2010.
"We do not have a role in this other than to facilitate the activities that are put onto the program by the IOC," he said.
The IOC voted in 2006 not to allow women's ski jumping into the 2010 Games, saying the sport has not yet developed enough and that it didn't meet basic criteria for inclusion. In order to be considered for inclusion in an Olympic Games, a sport must have held at least two world championships. The first women's ski jumping world championships will be held next year in Liberec, Czech Republic.
Supporters of women's ski jumpers argue there are 135 female ski jumpers in 16 countries. This compares to other sports already in the Games like snowboard cross, which has 34 women from 10 countries, skier cross, which has 30 women from 11 nations, and bobsled, which has 26 women from 13 nations.