Annika Malacinski Leads Push for Women’s Nordic Combined Ahead of Milan‑Cortina 2026
Updated (3 articles)
IOC’s 2022 Rejection Still Blocks Women’s Entry In June 2022 the International Olympic Committee denied a women’s Nordic combined event without providing an explanation, prompting Annika Malacinski to experience an eight‑hour crying spell on a Munich‑Denver flight [1]. The decision left the sport without a female category and sparked renewed advocacy from athletes and supporters.
Women Remain Absent as Only Sport Without Female Athletes As of the Milan‑Cortina 2026 Games, Nordic combined is the sole Olympic discipline lacking women competitors, even though overall female participation reached a record 47 percent [1]. Malacinski, a 24‑year‑old Colorado skier who regularly finishes in the top ten, will travel to northern Italy to cheer her brother Niklas in the men’s event. Her visibility underscores the contrast between growing gender parity elsewhere and this persistent exclusion.
Seefeld Protest Highlights Ongoing Gender Dispute Female skiers staged a visual protest in Seefeld, Austria, arranging poles in an “X” shape to symbolize the exclusion of women from Nordic combined [1]. The demonstration coincided with a competition weekend, drawing media attention to the athletes’ demands. Organizers used the event to pressure the IOC for a swift policy reversal.
IOC Threatens Sport’s Future Over Participation Concerns The IOC warned that Nordic combined could be removed from the 2030 Winter Games because of low national entry numbers and limited television viewership [1]. Officials cited insufficient country participation and modest audience appeal as justification. This threat adds urgency to the campaign for a women’s division, which could boost entries and viewership.
Milan‑Cortina Introduces Equal 50‑km Mass‑Start Races Recent Olympic reforms grant both men and women identical 50‑km mass‑start races at Milan‑Cortina 2026, marking the first time the distance is equal across genders [1]. The change reflects broader moves toward gender parity in winter sports. While the reform does not yet include women’s Nordic combined, it sets a precedent for future inclusion.
Timeline
2008 – The Swedish ski federation launches the “Alla På Snö” inclusion program, which annually reaches an estimated 30,000 children with free gear and slope access, aiming to broaden winter‑sport participation[2].
2009 – Somali‑born Maryan Hashi arrives in Sweden at age 14 and later settles in Skellefteå, beginning her journey toward winter‑sport involvement[2].
2018 – A municipal pilot project introduces Hashi to snowboarding, sparking her passion and later leading her to teach other immigrant children, whom she now calls “a permanent part of my family”[2].
2018 – The U.S. women’s bobsled team already shows significant representation of athletes of colour, setting a precedent for future Olympic rosters[3].
June 2022 – The International Olympic Committee rejects the inclusion of women’s Nordic combined without explanation, prompting Annika Malacinski to endure an eight‑hour crying spell on a Munich‑Denver flight[1].
2025 – Skeleton athletes Mystique Ro and Austin Florian win the mixed‑team world championship, with Ro later declaring that “progress is real and champions exist”[3].
2025 – Female skiers stage a protest in Seefeld, Austria, raising poles in an “X” to highlight the continued exclusion of women from Nordic combined during a competition[1].
2025 – The IOC warns that Nordic combined risks being dropped from the 2030 Games because of low country entries and limited TV viewership[1].
2026 – At the Milan‑Cortina Winter Olympics, overall female participation reaches a record 47 percent, reflecting broader moves toward gender parity in winter sports[1].
2026 – New Olympic reforms grant men and women identical 50‑km mass‑start races, marking the first time both genders compete over the same distance in Nordic combined[1].
2026 – Annika Malacinski travels to northern Italy to cheer her brother Niklas in the men’s Nordic combined event, continuing her advocacy for a women’s spot while remaining a top‑10 finisher herself[1].
2026 – The United States projects an Olympic bobsled and skeleton roster of eight or nine women, with the pool expected to be predominantly women of colour, underscoring a historic shift in representation[3].
2026 – Mystique Ro emphasizes that “progress is real and champions exist,” highlighting the growing success of Black athletes in winter sports[3].
2026 – Laila Edwards stresses that “representation matters,” pledging to serve as a role model beyond the Olympic stage[3].
2026 – Sweden fields an almost entirely white Winter Olympic team, with NHL forward Mika Zibanejad (of Iranian descent) the sole visible minority, contrasting sharply with the nation’s one‑fifth foreign‑born population[2].
2026 – Sport pedagogy professor Josef Fahlen explains that the lack of athletes of colour “takes not years but decades,” attributing it to cultural inertia and parental steering toward familiar sports[2].
2030 – If participation and viewership do not improve, Nordic combined faces possible removal from the Olympic program, as warned by the IOC[1].