Women ski jumpers brought down to earth

Unnoticed by the vast majority of those watching these winter games is that not one woman will have descended down either of the ski jump hills in competition.

As Gregor Schlierenzauer of Austria completed the team ski jump competition today, one of the rare sour tastes of this Winter Olympics was left in the mouth

His soaring 146.5m jump (the longest of the competition which yielded 145.2 pts) was enough to earn Austria the gold medal.

But why should men be the only ones permitted to celebrate their great achievements in this event (and the nordic combined, of which ski jumping forms one half)?

Especially when considering the fact that it is a woman (Lindsay Van) who holds the record jump off the normal hill at Whistler ski park.

USA's Johnny Spillane won silver in the nordic combined competition.

And perhaps more importantly, should a body such as the International Olympic Committee be able to ride roughshod over the host nation's entire legal system?

Because that is exactly what was allowed to happen.

Illegal

The Vancouver Olympics were supposed to be games of equality, in a nation that possesses a specific clause about gender discrimination in its charter of rights and freedoms, and when a British Colombia judge ruled that the action to exclude women from the ski jump competition was indeed illegal under Canadian law, there appeared to be a glimmer of hope.

But that hope was quickly extinguished when the court added that the law didn't apply to an international body such as the IOC.

All that belief and integrity might as well have been thrown to the four winds from the summit of the large hill at Whistler.

There is not a lack of interest, or an absence of willing competitors.

It is down to the stubbornness and commercial minded cynicism of the Vancouver Organising Committee and IOC, and a lack of strength in the Canadian court system to hold both these bodies to account to its national laws.

Excuses

These organisations, it appears, would rather include newer events that have fewer participants but a greater marketing potential, than address a very simple question.

Excuses ranging from the short-sighted (limited space in the athletes' village) to the downright bizarre (female bodies not being suitable for ski jumping) have been used but none satisfy the argument.

The female ski jumpers have been trying to achieve this goal since 1998, and now have their own tour and World Championship, but with the next Olympics in the very un-feminist Russia, they maybe forced to wait until 2018 for their first Olympic contest.

That would be a real leap of faith.

Williams win brings British respect and pride back to Olympics

Fifty-four seconds after leaving the Whistler sliding centre’s summit for her fourth and final skeleton run, Amy Williams had re-written more than just record books.


Becoming the first individual British athlete in 30 years to claim a Winter Olympic gold medal was impressive enough – she also added the track record along the way - but silencing the national press was an even greater achievement.

And compatriate Shelly Rudman’s rapidly improving times meant that had the competition continued for another slide or two, the country could have celebrated a pair of athletes atop the podium.

However, the silver medalist from four years ago was forced to settle for sixth after producing the fastest descent down the 1km long course in the final round.

It’s noticeable that the events of that Friday night in western Canada marked something of a sea-change in the coverage from the vast majority of the UK press towards these Vancouver Games.

Prior to that, and indeed as long ago as the days leading up to the opening ceremony, much of the reporting had been negative and belittling, with backhanded criticisms ranging from the organizing committee, the (unfortunately) unseasonably warm weather, to even the sports on show.

This last one is perhaps the most concerning, as by showing a flagrant disregard for the merits of ski-jumping, luge, or cross-country skiing, the press are illustrating an equal contempt for the athletes, coaches and significant others who dedicate their time to the training and hard-work that winning a gold medal takes.

DISTASTEFUL

This is unfortunately a distasteful trend for the media which must be un-learnt before the Olympics come-a-calling to London in 2012.

Significant criticism has come towards the host nation’s “Own the podium” aim, but there has been little outcry at the calls from various prominent politicians and athletes for a similar strategy to provide a record haul of British medals two years hence.

Indeed, contrarily this is often supported by the press as something that is needed to make the games a success.

There is no doubt that aspects of every major event, including this present one in British Columbia, require scrutiny and criticism, but just to do so because your country has limited success in the disciplines involved is simply not a good enough excuse.

Why not try fostering an atmosphere of support and pride helping the athletes to succeed, rather than making it appear against the odds or as a silly novelty that will be forgotten about for the next three-and-a-half years.

Maybe that way, in four years time we will actually be able to talk up our athletes chances of bringing medal success.

Going for Gold

The hopes of a nation are riding on the shoulders of 23 athletes as the 2010 Winter Olympics start today in Vancouver.

That’s not the total number of competitors Great Britain is sending to western Canada but the host nation’s men’s ice hockey squad.

For Canadian ice hockey, read English football, only colder, more physical and more dedicated.
Many young Canadians grow up playing hockey on homemade backyard rinks in temperatures well below freezing.

And that’s just the start.

If they work hard enough, are determined enough, and more importantly lucky enough to be blessed with some talent on skates, they will soon be playing their way through the junior ranks.
And at just 16-years-old those kids can be playing in front of National Hockey League sized crowds.

It’s a telling statement that, as Boris Johnson, the mayor of London, performed a good luck Vancouver ceremony with James Wright, Canadian high commissioner to the United Kingdom, the pair crossed hockey sticks in Trafalgar Square.

Not crossed ski poles, or sitting in a bobsleigh, but hockey sticks.

Canada will undoubtedly be near the summit of the final medal table, but for many who reside north of the 49th parallel, the nation’s success will be based solely on the performance of one team.

There are plenty of other medal hopes.

Howard Martin and Cheryl Bernard will be favourites to lead their teams to curling gold, Manuel Osbourne-Paradis and Erik Guay are medal hopes in downhill skiing, with the freestyle skiing and figure skating teams expecting to make the podium as well.

But it will all come back to the “good old hockey game.”

It may seem unfair to place such huge pressure on only one team for one medal, but it is just a fact of life for Canadians.