Translate to English The battle between sports for a place at the Olympics

70 meters in altitude, first ascent quickly on skis, then on foot over the steepest passages, finally descending at high speed. Four minutes under full load. This is how the sprint discipline works in ski mountaineering, or skimo for short. A sport that was Olympic for the first time at the Winter Games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo.

While those interested in winter sports looked curiously at the Olympic newcomer, another decision caused some criticism. The Nordic Combined women once again failed to make it into the Olympic program. Combiner Nathalie Armbruster criticized the decision of the International Olympic Committee (IOC): “No one should be denied the opportunity to live their dreams – just because they are a woman.” The traditional discipline is currently worried about being included in the program in France in 2030.

Olaf Tabor, director of competitive sports at the German Olympic Sports Confederation, sees the IOC’s decision as a “dynamic development” that is normal in sport. “Tradition is no guarantee of staying in the Olympic program,” says Tabor. What counted was commercial success, marketing and sporting relevance.

But how does the Olympic program actually come about?

This is how the Olympic program comes about

Basically, at IOC sessions, the general assemblies of all members of the world government of sport, decided which sports could be included in the Olympics. The prerequisite is that a sport has an international professional association that is recognized by the IOC and meets the rules of the Olympic Charter, the Anti-Doping Code and the IOC Integrity Guidelines.

The IOC Executive Committee determines which competitions a sport will ultimately be represented at the Olympic Games. The basis is the recommendations of the program commission, which examines proposals from the associations and involves athlete representatives as well as national Olympic committees. The specific program is determined around five years before the games.

Die Olympic Agenda 2020

The Olympic Agenda 2020 brought a decisive change, with the help of former IOC President Thomas Bach wanted to make the games more sustainable. Since then, organizers have been able to propose additional sports for their edition of the games. An instrument for the IOC to make the games more flexible and to adapt the program more closely to the respective venue. Karate was part of the program in Tokyo, breaking in Paris and now skimo in Milan. With Bach’s agenda, the IOC also limited the size of the games. A maximum of around 2,900 athletes should compete at the Winter Games.

For Jürgen Mittag, professor of sports policy at the German Sport University Cologne, the reform marks the beginning of a new phase. “Ten years ago the Olympic movement was relatively static, a heavy tanker,” he says. Only in recent years has there been noticeable movement in the system; There have been adjustments to the program before, but not with this dynamic.

DOSB board member Tabor also assesses the new opportunities positively. “It’s a success story. This is how young and new sports come to the games,” he says. Sports can only be developed further if the sporting program is continually questioned.

The IOC is putting the program to the test

Spectacular drone rides through the Cortina ice track, as well as superimposed point rankings during the freestyle performances in figure skating: At the recent Winter Games it was possible to observe how elaborately the competitions are staged in order to attract a new audience.

According to Mittag’s assessment, questions relating to staging and marketing play a greater role today than before. The IOC sees itself under pressure to reach younger target groups and keep the games attractive in the competition for attention. Audience ratings, international distribution and the organizational stability of the associations would be given greater weight. Established sports would also have to adapt to this.

The new IOC President Kirsty Coventry has already initiated this debate. At an IOC meeting before the games in Milan, she announced that she wanted to look at the games and especially the program “with a fresh eye”. Everything is under scrutiny. It’s about finding the right balance between tradition and innovation. According to Coventry, the discussions about this could become uncomfortable.

“The traffic light may not be red, but it is flashing yellow”

There are concrete consequences for associations if sports and disciplines are canceled. In many countries, Olympic status is closely linked to funding and media presence. If a sport or discipline is removed from the program, then money is missing. Trainer positions are disappearing, youth programs are being cut, and there is no longer any investment in infrastructure. Sports and disciplines try to adapt accordingly in order to become more attractive.

For example: Rugby made it back into the Olympic program in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. But instead of relying on the prominent and common 15-a-side rugby, the Olympics opted for 7-a-side rugby. The seven-on-seven is limited to 14 minutes, is more accessible for laypeople and is full of action. Rugby has thus adapted to the IOC criteria. Since then, rugby 7s has been an integral part of the Summer Olympics.

However, Mittag emphasizes that this development in the games cannot only be understood as an economization of sport. “The IOC moves between tradition and innovation,” he says. The Olympic Movement sees itself as a values-based organization and must also exist in the global media market. Sport, says Mittag, is not a closed space. It reflects social developments. More competition, faster changes: all of this can also be felt around the Olympic Games.

Accordingly, the pressure on individual sports is increasing. “The traffic light may not be red, but it flashes yellow,” says Mittag. He expects more changes in the program in the future. That could be attractive for the audience. For supposedly established sports, however, this means having to permanently reassert themselves. “Once a sport is put to the test, the sword of Damocles continues to hang over it,” says Mittag.

Will the Nordic combined stay at the Olympics?

It is precisely that sword of Damocles that hovers over the Nordic combination. DOSB board member Tabor can understand the criticism from the athletes about the renewed exclusion of women. At the same time, this discipline must also develop further. There are two scenarios: Either the Nordic combined will also be held at the Olympics with women in the future – or the discipline will lose its place in the program.

The IOC’s equality goal, which envisages the most equal distribution of starting places between women and men, makes it increasingly unlikely that a sport will be permanently represented by only one gender. At the Cortina-Milan Games, the proportion of female athletes was around 47 percent.

What will therefore also be crucial is what impression the Nordic Combined has made in Italy over the past two weeks. Tabor remains optimistic: “I am confident that the Nordic combined will be there again at the next games – including with the women.”