On Wednesday, Norwegian Jens Lurås Oftebro became Olympic champion in Nordic combined on the normal hill in Tesero. Will he have a successor in 2030? Nothing is certain. Nordic combined has been on the program of every Winter Olympic Games since Chamonix 1924, but that could change. The IOC has openly warned the FIS: in this era of diversity and gender equality, a sport that only offers men's events at the Games and involves only a limited number of countries has no guarantees.
Participation and hearing before justices of the peace
In June 2022, the IOC issued a serious warning. In the last three editions, the 27 available medals in Nordic combined have been won by athletes from only four NOCs (Norway, Germany, Japan, and Austria). Furthermore, Nordic combined has by far the lowest viewership at these Games. "Words hurt, but they force discipline to confront harsh reality. In February 2022," the Ipsos institute had conducted a survey in 28 countries asking the public to name the three Winter Games events that interested them most: Nordic combined was the least mentioned sport (along with skeleton).
The situation was deemed " very worrying "by the IOC. The inclusion of the Nordic combined in Milan-Cortina was even debated, but it was maintained on the grounds that male athletes had already been preparing for it for many years. Women, however, remain spectators, as American Annika Malacinski laments: Once again, I'm not missing the Olympics because of my skill level, my work, or my commitment. I'm missing them because I'm a woman. We do the same sport. We jump on the same ramps. We ski on the same courses. We make the same sacrifices. When the biggest event in the world comes around, the door remains closed. »
« We would love for female athletes to participate; we proposed it. But it's not up to us. We had to accept it. " explains Sandra Spitz, FIS sports director, to Francs JeuxMen are also worried. I admit that when I learned of my selection, I was happy because if we're not at the Olympic Games in four years, I'll have had the chance to participate once. “,” Frenchman Maël Tyrode told us. During the winter, I don't think about it too much; you have to do what you know how to do and stay focused. But outside of the season, I do think about it. “,” adds Marco Heinis. The IOC Executive Board has warned: The inclusion of Nordic combined in the 2030 Winter Olympics will depend on significant positive developments, particularly in terms of participation and audience. "A major pressure tactic, which the Nordic combined world claims to have heard."
Positive signs
Sandra Spitz, FIS sports director, acknowledges this: This is a crucial moment for us. The IOC has new leadership, and we expect change. They will be watching Nordic combined closely, but we see it as a challenge rather than a concern, an opportunity for progress. The FIS has invested a lot "to modernize its sport and meet expectations."
« We have a compact format, integrated into the World Championships in Trondheim, which has been very successful (time gaps are predetermined based on the ski jumping rankings and no longer depend on the points difference). We received very positive feedback, including from the media. It was a good step. Currently, we are also testing sprint formats at the continental level. We continue to evolve to make this sport more popular. " says Lasse Ottesen, FIS Nordic combined race director.
« We established a development program four years ago and we see that medium-sized or small nations are cooperating with the largest ones., he continuesOver the past two years, we have broken records in terms of youth participation, for both men and women. We are seeing very positive results. "The FIS has also..." a future project with the United States ", which should help to strengthen the presence of Nordic combined in this market.
"The athletes also participate"
The FIS has also focused its efforts on the digital sphere. Now, a content creator is present at all races to feed social media. The athletes are also involved; they've really grasped the importance of self-marketing. The way they present our sport on social media is exactly what we need; they've helped us a lot. What Annika Malacinski (35.000 Instagram followers, editor's note) does, for example, is invaluable to us. “That’s a good thing,” adds Sophie Hargesheimer, media coordinator for Nordic combined at the FIS. “TV viewership increased during the 2024-2025 World Cup season, and summer Nordic combined content reached record levels, particularly on TikTok.”
Building on this momentum, " Nordic combined has its place at the highest level of winter sports. "And with women," Ottesen assures us. Throughout the season, we're all together, men and women, every weekend. There's a void during these two weeks, but we're confident about what's to come. Having been included in the World Championships in 2021, women's Nordic combined has undeniably come a long way and now presents a stronger case than ever to convince the IOC to open the doors of the Olympic program to it. Despite all this progress, the podiums remain the exclusive domain of the four countries mentioned earlier… Well, that was the case until Wednesday, when Finland's Eero Hirvonen took bronze. His compatriot Ilkka Herola finished fifth, and Estonia's Kristjan Ilves sixth. Encouraging signs, which will need to be confirmed this Tuesday, the day of the large hill competition. The underdogs may never have received so much support.
