Women ski jumpers sue for place in 2010

By Allan Dowd

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Reuters) - A coalition of international women ski jumpers filed suit in Canada on Wednesday challenging their exclusion from the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

The lawsuit against the Vancouver Organizing Committee argues that the women from Europe and North America have been discriminated against because the Games allow only men's ski jumping.

"The failure to include women's ski jumping events in the Games violates every woman's right to equal benefit under the law," according to the lawsuit filed in British Columbia Supreme Court in Vancouver.

Nearly all Olympic sports have both a men's and women's event, but the International Olympic Committee always has exempted ski jumping to let it be a male-only competition.

IOC President Jacques Rogge said in February that only 80 women were competing in the sport, far fewer than for other Olympic sports, and including it in the 2010 Games would dilute the value of medals won in other events.

The women's supporters argue they meet all the technical requirements to qualify, and accuse opponents of being sexist and unwilling to force male ski jumpers to share potential sponsorship money athletes get from being part of the Games.

The Vancouver Organizing Committee said it could not comment on the lawsuit, but noted that only the IOC had the authority to decide what events were held at the Winter and Summer Games.

"We have no vote in this," committee Chief Executive John Furlong said.

Furlong said the committee did tell the IOC that if it decided to include the women's event the local organizers would make sure they were ready to handle it.

But the Vancouver committee officials also warned that the competition schedule -- which has to balance the needs of both athletes and international broadcasters -- is scheduled to be finalized by August, and it would be very difficult to change after that.

The lawsuit said the Vancouver Organizing Committee can be sued over the issue because it receives substantial Canadian government funding and is responsible for carrying out government policies to make sure the Games are successful.

The women ski jumpers had filed a complaint with the Canadian Human Rights Commission, but it was settled in January under an agreement with the federal government that called for the dispute to be mediated.

The women purchased billboards in Vancouver lobbying for their cause the last time the IOC officials were in the Pacific Coast city reviewing preparations for the Games.

The IOC has said that women might be allowed to compete in future Games if enough take up the sport.

(Editing by Vicki Allen)

("Countdown to Beijing Olympics" blog at blogs.reuters.com/china)