A popular sport in Colorado will not make an appearance in the next Olympics. Nordic combined has officially been cut from the program for the 2030 Games.
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The sport has been close to the chopping block in recent years. The International Olympic Committee said it ranked lowest in popularity across the last four games.
Nordic combined brings together cross-country skiing and ski jumping, and has a connection to Steamboat Springs, where many athletes have trained in the sport. But historically, there’s also been inequality in the event, as the Olympics have only featured a men’s category. It’s something those in Steamboat have pushed to change.
“They don't really have any love for us, passion for us, and support for us, which is unfortunate, but we are trying to win them over,” Ella Wilson, an athlete, told KUNC in January 2025.
Lawmakers in Colorado, including U.S. Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper, sent a letter this year to the committee urging it not only to keep the sport, but also to add a women's event.
“Nordic combined has been part of the Winter Olympics since the first Games in 1924," the senators wrote in the letter. "Jumps were built across our state, including at Steamboat Springs’ Howelsen Hill, the oldest continuously operating ski area in North America."
However, the news of the event being removed altogether is another setback for those Steamboat Springs athletes.
“It's waiting for the sports to bring to them what they want rather than being invested and making the sports work for the audience they want to draw in, and it's chasing dollars," said Stephanie Wilson, Ella's mother, after hearing the news on Tuesday.
Nordic Combined USA, the organization that works with the athletes, released this statement in part:
"While the Olympic Games are an important part of Nordic Combined, they are not the only measure of its success. Every year, athletes compete on the World Cup circuit, pursue World Championship medals, and represent their countries on the international stage. Just as importantly, every winter young athletes take their first jump from a local hill, learn to race on cross-country skis, and discover the unique challenge of combining two disciplines into one sport."
Part of the change and removal of the sport is the IOC’s announcement of the 2030 Olympics as “the first Winter Games with gender parity.”
The Olympics will be held in the French Alps. With the removal of the Nordic combined, the games will see the addition of freeride for skiing and snowboarding, as well as a figure skating event called synchro9, also known as synchronized skating.
