Aaron Kostner is South Tyrol's best Nordic combined skier. © APA/afp / JAVIER SORIANO

Shocking news: Nordic combined is no longer an Olympic sport

The era of Nordic combined at the Olympics has come to an end, at least for now, after more than 100 years. The sport will no longer be part of the competition program for the 2030 Winter Games in France, as announced by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Lausanne. At the Winter Games in Italy in February, only men were eligible to compete.

July 07, 2026

From: Leo/dpa

The IOC justified its decision by stating that studies showed Nordic combined was the least popular sport among the public at the 2014, 2018, 2022, and 2026 Winter Games. Furthermore, the sport is too concentrated in the hands of just a few countries. Only five different nations won medals at the last four Winter Games.

This is a heavy blow for the combined event. For years, athletes and their federations had fought to keep it in the world's most important sporting event. Had the IOC decided to retain the sport in the program, women would likely have participated for the first time in 2030.

Part of the Olympic program since 1924

So, in three and a half years (February 1st to 17th, 2030), ski jumpers and cross-country skiers will be competing in the French Alps, but there will be no Nordic combined athletes. At the same time, the IOC decided to keep the parallel giant slalom in snowboarding on the competition program, contrary to recent fears among the athletes.

Daniela Dejori has to put her Olympic dream on hold for now. © Teyssot / Pierre TEYSSOT

The combined event had been a fixture of the Winter Games since its inception in 1924. Women had never participated in those 102 years. Until this year, it was the last Winter Games sport in which women were not eligible to compete.

The athletes had campaigned for months to preserve their sport and include women. Arguments against this included the lack of competitive depth at the top, the consistent number of winners from the same nations, and the relatively new World Cup format. The women's World Cup was only launched in 2020, 37 years after the men's.

That was the deciding factor.

The IOC spent years collecting data such as TV ratings, viewership figures, and even the reach of Instagram posts. "We are aware of the challenges facing Nordic combined, both for men and women," IOC Sports Director Pierre Ducrey had stated beforehand. The analysis of the crucial data from the Winter Games in Italy in February ultimately tipped the scales – against Nordic combined.