Ski Jumping

We have discussed many sports in this blog and now it will be nice to discuss about a different type of post.

Ski jumping is a sport in which skiers go down an  with a take-off ramp (the jump), attempting to fly as far as possible. In addition to the length that skiers jump, judges give points for style. The skis used for ski jumping are wide and long (260 to 275 centimetres (100 to 110 in)). Ski jumping is predominantly a winter sport, performed on snow, and is part of the Winter Olympic Games, but can also be performed in summer on artificial surf. Ski jumping originates from Morgedal, Norway. Olaf Rye, a Norwegian lieutenant, was the first known ski jumper. In 1809, he launched himself 9.5 metres in the air in front of an audience of other soldiers. As ski jumping is done in icy places it is nice to take ski holidays too.

Ski jumping has been an Olympic sport since 1924, but is one of the few events in either the Winter or Summer Games that does not have competitions for men and women. All new sports allowed into the Games must be gender equal.The IOC has refused to sanction women's ski jumping in the Games, arguing that not enough women are competing in the sport worldwide for it to qualify as an Olympic event.The group of 14 international former and current ski jumpers who gave petition to take part in games, denied the IOC's claims, and argued more women were competing in ski jumping than in some other sports that have been included in the Olympics.The British Columbia Court of Appeal panel issued the decision after a two-day court hearing in Vancouver. A written opinion with the full reasons for the ruling was expected to be released at a later date.Vancouver Organizing Committee chief executive John Furlong said the court victory was bittersweet for local organizers, and they hoped that women's ski jumping would be allowed by the IOC in future Olympics