There’s only one Winter Olympics sport women can’t compete in, and the reason is shocking

The Winter Olympics are well underway in Milan and people are fuming after discovering there’s one sport women aren’t allowed to compete in.

We’re in the grand old year of 2026 and there’s STILL no women’s event for Nordic Combined, that crazy sport where they ski down a big hill and fly through the air in a wild death jump. The one you used to play on Wii Sports.

Since the Winter Olympics began, women have never been allowed to do Nordic Combined. The reason? Apparently, there’s not enough interest in it. That’s a pretty rubbish reason, considering the Olympics claims gender equality is a “fundamental principle” of the games. Even if there isn’t enough interest and they can only run one event, why do men get priority over women?

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) told The Tab: “There have been many challenges in Nordic Combined with regard to international representation, particularly outside Europe and popularity, at the last three editions of the Olympic Winter Games. This is demonstrated by the fact that, at the last three editions, the 27 medals available in Nordic Combined were won by athletes from only 4 NOCs. In addition, Nordic Combined had by far the lowest audience numbers during those Games.”

When the Nordic Combined starts today, it will be a male-only affair.

It's the only Olympic sport where women don't have representation 🙅‍♀️

Annika Malacinski is trying to change that 💪 pic.twitter.com/uPXG2zyVSP

— DW Sports (@dw_sports) February 10, 2026

They claimed Nordic combined had “by far the lowest audience numbers of any discipline”over the last three Winter Olympic Games cycles.

However, the IOC said the sport will undergo a “full evaluation” after the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, after which they will “make a decision on the inclusion of Nordic Combined for men and women in the programme of the Olympic Winter Games French Alps 2030”.

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The Olympic committee told The Tab the future inclusion of women in Nordic Combined depends on a few different factors, including more athletes competing in the World Cup circuit and at the World Championships and an increase in “overall popularity” of the sport across broadcast, digital, general public interest and press.

So, we could finally see women able to compete in Nordic combined for the first time ever at the next Winter Olympics.

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Featured image credit: JURE MAKOVEC/EPA/Shutterstock