CAPE TOWN, South Africa — It is seldom that I find myself not in the athlete’s corner on most issues, but the stink caused by an ill-advised lawsuit brought by U.S. women jumpers against the Vancouver Olympic organizing committee may have far reaching ramifications, none of which could be very helpful to interests of either the athletes or the fortunes of the United States Ski Association.
    At the International Ski Federation Congress here, Canadian officials were outspoken and incensed about the suit, which they see as a direct affront to their Games and grandstanding by Women’s Ski Jumping-USA President Deedee Corradini.
 
CAPE TOWN, South Africa — It is seldom that I find myself not in the athlete’s corner on most issues, but the stink caused by an ill-advised lawsuit brought by U.S. women jumpers against the Vancouver Olympic organizing committee may have far reaching ramifications, none of which could be very helpful to interests of either the athletes or the fortunes of the United States Ski Association.
    At the International Ski Federation Congress here, Canadian officials were outspoken and incensed about the suit, which they see as a direct affront to their Games and grandstanding by Women’s Ski Jumping-USA President Deedee Corradini.
    While officials here give the suit little chance of success, they are furious the U.S. jumpers have stretched the issue this far, feeling that the IOC has ruled on the issue and it is over. Most feel VANOC is simply carrying out a contract with the International Olympic Committee to put on the Winter Games. Specific sport obligations are part of that contract and even if VANOC was inclined to accept women’s ski jumping, they probably are unable to do so by terms of their contractual agreement with the IOC.  
    The sentiment was echoed by VANOC President John Furlong, who was quoted in Vancouver’s morning paper saying that the organizing committee doesn’t sanction sports, it only organizes them. If the sport were sanctioned by the IOC, VANOC would schedule the event, he added.   
    Despite the arguments put forth by Corradini about the IOC following its own code, the Olympic movement is not governed by any law save its own. The organization has no obligation to take on any sport. Just last week IOC President Jacques Rogge reiterated the IOC position, saying that women’s jumping would not be included in Vancouver.
    The women’s’ jumping organization was advised a number of years ago by the FIS on how the process worked. Had the procedure been followed, most likely women’s jumping would have been a demonstration sport for the 2010 Games and been in position to be included in the 2014 Games as a Winter Olympic sport, according to a former member of the FIS council.
    Corradini chose not to follow that path, choosing instead to ramrod her own agenda down the throat of the IOC, virtually dooming an opportunity to failure from the outset. Moreover, there is considerable worry by delegates here that the IOC now may not include women’s jumping in 2014.
    “No matter what Corradini says, the IOC holds the cards,” said one delegate, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “After this debacle the IOC just might decide they don’t need women’s jumping, period.”
    Indeed, longtime FIS member Joe Lamb, who is a member of numerous jumping committees, noted that the subject had not come up at all. “The major jumping countries which are the backbone of the sport are not saying a word about women’s jumping,” he said.
    In Canada, athlete members of the women’s jumping squad were initially involved in legal action to have the sport included in the Games. They pulled back when they were offered and accepted a considerable sum of federal dollars to support their training according to a member of the Canadian federation. “The Canadian women jumpers are getting a lot more money than the guys,” he said. Additionally, the Canadian Olympic Committee agreed to approach the IOC once more, but were rebuffed.
    While the legal process will take months, the immediate effect was very real. U.S. delegates here expressed concern that Canada may very well not support the Vail/Beaver Creek bid for the 2013 World Alpine Championships. Given the tightness of the World Championships bid race, lack of support from Canada could doom U.S. chances of winning the necessary votes to attain the event.
    From my perspective, Corradini, the former mayor of Salt Lake City, is just running the athletes up the flag pole for personal gain. Even if her ham-fisted approach does succeed in the courts, the women jumpers will be stained by her “in your face” tactics and her actions will cloud the sport for some time in the future.
    While one has to question the IOC’s thinking and logic about not sanctioning women’s ski jumping, the organization is not known for its enlightenment. After all, this year’s Summer Games will be in Beijing, the capital of a nation not known for its human rights concerns. The reality is that the IOC does what it wants when it wants.
    While that may not sit well with this author, it is a shame that this group of athletes have been led down a path with little chance to succeed. If the jumpers had a leader who understood international sport procedure rather than power politics, today’s situation might be very different. True, there would not be a medal event in 2010 but there most probably would have been women’s jumping and a recognition of talent. It would have been a much better alternative to a likely loss in court. And even if legally successful, forcible entry will not gain the support needed to move women’s jumping to the level both the discipline and the athletes deserve.