Female ski jumpers lose lawsuit

Ski jumping athletes, from left, Meaghan Reid, of Calgary, Alta., Lindsey Van, of Park City, Utah, Karla Keck, of Oconomowoc, Wisc., and Jessica Jerome, of Park City, Utah, pose for a photograph outside British Columbia Supreme Court in Vancouver, B.C., on Tuesday, April 21, 2009. The athletes are part of a group of 15 women suing Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games organizers claiming their Charter rights are being violated because male jumpers are allowed to compete in the Olympics and they aren't. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Darryl Dyck) (The Associated Press)

Park City's Lindsey Van won't be ski-jumping at the upcoming Vancouver Olympics, and neither will any other female athletes.

The reigning inaugural world champion is among 15 plaintiffs who lost their lawsuit against the Vancouver Olympic Games Organizing Committee on Friday, when Justice Lauri Ann Fenlon of the British Columbia Supreme Court ruled that the decision to exclude their sport is not illegal under Canadian law -- even though it was discriminatory.

"In my mind, that's pretty crazy," Van said.

In a high-profile case that threatened to force historic changes just months before the Vancouver Games, the women had argued that being excluded from the Olympics violates Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which prohibits gender discrimination in government services.

But in a 42-page ruling, Fenlon said that only the International Olympic Committee -- not the local organizing committee -- controls which sports are allowed in the Olympics, and the IOC is not bound by Canadian law.

"VANOC did not make the decision to exclude women's ski jumping from the 2010 Games," Fenlon wrote. "VANOC did not support that decision. VANOC does not have the power to remedy it."

As a result, ski jumping will remain the only sport in the Olympics in which women are not allowed to compete. The Vancouver Games run from Feb. 12-28.

"It's terribly disappointing, but the experience and effort was important," said Deedee Corradini,

"We did everything possible, followed the rules, grew the sport, held world championships and the IOC remained opposed to including women in ski jumping," Corradini said.

The IOC had argued that women's ski jumping is not a mature enough sport to justify being in the Olympics, something the women had strongly disputed.

Fenlon agreed with them on that point, saying that men's ski jumping would not qualify to be included in the Olympics if it had to meet the same criteria that the women must. Instead, it remains an Olympic sport because the IOC allows it an exception as an "Olympic tradition."

"The plaintiffs will be denied this opportunity for no reason other than their sex," Fenlon wrote.

Still, Fenlon said she could not rule for the women because the IOC was neither a party in the lawsuit nor subject to the charter in Canada.

"We did the best we could, and all we can do is hope for a better outcome in the future," said Park City's Jessica Jerome, another highly ranked ski jumper who was among the plaintiffs. "Of course, it's extremely disheartening. I feel like we were trying to do the right thing to advance the sport as a whole, not just for the girls currently competing, but for the upcoming generation as well. Unfortunately, this decision will affect a lot of talented skiers."

Van said she wasn't sure about her future in the sport, and that she will need some time to digest the ruling. She said she can't fathom how the IOC can do as it pleases in countries around the world that host the Olympics, but respected the court's opinion.

mcl@sltrib.com