When organizers describe the 2026 Winter Olympics as the most gender-balanced in history, there is one glaring exception: Nordic combined.
The discipline — which merges ski jumping with a 10-kilometer cross-country race — remains closed to women at the Olympic level, even as nearly every other Winter Games event now includes both genders.
For athletes like American Annika Malacinski, that exclusion is not theoretical. Ranked 10th in the world, she traveled to Italy for the Games anyway — not to compete, but to cheer on her younger brother, Niklas Malacinski, who qualified in the very sport she trains for year-round.
She and her brother both relocated to Norway to sharpen their skills. They train on the same hills, log the same punishing mileage and chase the same podium dreams. The difference, she has said, comes down to gender.
Nordic combined has been part of the Olympic program since the inaugural Winter Games in 1924. Athletes earn points in ski jumping based on distance and style, then start the cross-country race staggered according to those results. The format demands mastery of two distinct skill sets — explosive aerial precision and endurance-heavy distance racing — a combination competitors often describe as uniquely demanding.
Outside the Olympics, women’s Nordic combined has grown quickly. The women’s World Cup circuit launched in 2020. The discipline was added to the World Championships in 2021 and has been featured at the Winter Youth Olympic Games since 2020. According to International Ski and Snowboard Federation data from 2023 and 2024, about 200 women across roughly two dozen countries now compete in the sport. A Nielsen Sports survey found women’s Nordic combined viewership increased 25% during the 2024–2025 World Cup season.
But Olympic inclusion has been denied twice — first for 2022 and again for 2026. The International Olympic Committee cited limited participation depth and relatively low audience numbers. An IOC spokesperson noted that in recent Winter Games, all 27 Nordic combined medals were won by athletes from just four countries, and the sport drew the lowest overall viewership among events.
Jan 18, 2020; Lausanne, SWITZERLAND; Lisa Hirner AUT in action during the Nordic Combined Women’s Individual 4km Cross Country at Les Tuffes Nordic Centre. The Winter Youth Olympic Games. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Burns/OIS Handout Photo via Imagn Images
That reasoning has frustrated athletes and federation officials, who argue the discipline aligns with the IOC’s sustainability goals. Nordic combined does not require new venues; it uses the same facilities as ski jumping and cross-country skiing, and women compete on identical courses with the same equipment specifications as men.
Yet the debate has shifted beyond adding women. The IOC has announced it will conduct a comprehensive review after the 2026 Games to determine whether Nordic combined — for men or women — will appear at the 2030 Olympics. A final decision is expected at the IOC’s annual meeting in June. Men’s quota spots have already been reduced from 55 at the previous Games to 36 in 2026.
In other words, the sport could expand — or disappear entirely.
Support for inclusion has extended beyond the athlete community. A petition calling for women’s Nordic combined at the 2030 Games has gathered tens of thousands of signatures. This week, U.S. Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper sent a letter urging the IOC to add the women’s event rather than eliminate the discipline. Some male Olympians have also voiced support for their female counterparts, arguing that women train just as rigorously without the same opportunity to compete on the world stage.
For Malacinski, the issue became deeply personal four years ago. She was on a transatlantic flight when she learned women would again be excluded for 2026. Expecting good news, she had purchased champagne before the announcement. Instead, she spent the eight-hour flight in tears. She later shared her raw reaction online, becoming one of the sport’s most visible advocates.
The siblings’ journey underscores the stakes. Raised in Colorado, Annika and Niklas now base themselves in Norway. Niklas has spoken about a childhood photo of the two standing on a podium at a World Cup event, imagining a future where both would reach that stage for real. For now, only one of them can.
Athletes often hear they could switch disciplines — ski jumping or cross-country skiing both offer Olympic pathways for women. But competitors insist Nordic combined is not simply two sports glued together. It is its own craft, its own culture.
As the IOC prepares its 2030 decision, the question looming over the sport is no longer just about gender parity. It is about survival.
