Athlete shares sad reality of being banned from Winter Olympics sport because she’s a woman

US athlete Annika Malacinski has issued a statement after not being allowed to compete in a sport at the Winter Olympics.

Nordic combined, in which athletes compete in cross-country skiing and ski jumping, remains the only Winter Olympic sport without a women’s event.

Malacinski has been very vocal about the ban and, last month (22 January), took to Instagram to share the sad reality behind the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) decision.

Her statement was titled 'Because equality should never have to wait another 4 years'.

It began: "Today, Olympic teams were named. Dreams were confirmed. And once again, I am not missing because of my level. Not because of my work. Not because of my commitment.

"I am missing because I am a woman...

Annika Malacinski has spoken out about not being able to compete at the 2026 Winter Olympics (Jurij Kodrun / Stringer / via Getty Images)

"This February, I will be on the sidelines watching my brother compete in the Olympic Games. We do the same sport. We jump the same jumps. We ski the same course. We make the same sacrifices.

"Everything is the same. Except my gender."

Malacinski continued: "I built my life around Nordic Combined with one goal. The Olympic Games. 2026. When the biggest stage in the world arrives, the door is still closed. We are told to prove ourselves. To progress. To wait.

"While the very platform that creates growth is denied to us. I will cheer louder than anyone this Olympic month. I just should not have to be watching from the outside."

Nordic combined is the only Winter Olympic sport without a women’s event (Sandra Volk/NordicFocus / Contributor / via Getty Images)

She concluded: "Because equality should never have to wait another four years."

The athlete captioned the post, declaring: "Every sport at the Olympics should have a men’s and women’s division no question."

The IOC confirmed back in 2022 that women’s Nordic combined would not be added to the Olympic programme, citing a lack of universality. It also warned that the men’s event faces its own uncertainties due to low interest.

The IOC said in a statement to PEOPLE that 'the discipline will undergo a full evaluation following the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026', adding: "Following this evaluation, the IOC will take a decision on the inclusion of Nordic Combined for men and women in the programme of the Olympic Winter Games French Alps 2030.

"As women have not yet been part of the Olympic Nordic Combined programme, and as the men’s events have been under review, the decision was taken to retain the men’s competitions for one additional edition and to conduct a data-driven assessment after Milano Cortina 2026."

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