A group of eight retired and current female ski jumpers have filed a lawsuit against the Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC). The suit calls for the inclusion of women's ski jumping in the 2010 Olympic Games and that by allowing only men to jump in the 2010 Games, the organizers are breaking Canadian laws guaranteeing equal rights.
Nearly all sports in the Summer and Winter Games have both men's and women's events, and the International Olympic Committee has required that of all new Olympic sports. But the IOC has maintained an exemption for ski jumping, which has been part of the Winter Games since 1924.
Lindsey Van, Karla Keck and Jessica Jerome of United States are among the plaintiffs in the suit. One potential stumbling block is the question of whether or not athletes from Europe and the US are covered by Canada's Charter of Rights. No Canadian athletes are included in the lawsuit.
VANOC complains it has been unfairly targeted by the lawsuit because it only follows the IOC's orders on what events to allow in the Games.
The organizers were sued rather than the IOC, because the Canadian hosts are legally obliged to follow the country's civil rights laws, according to the women's lawyer Ross Clark.
Read More:
Women ski jumpers say lawsuit about sport's future – The Guardian
Ski jumping lawsuit filed – Vancouver 24 Hours
Sources: The Guardian, Vancouver 24hours
