Hickenlooper, Bennet Urge Committee to Allow Women to Compete in Nordic Combined

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet sent a letter to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) urging it to continue including Nordic Combined in future winter games and allowing women to participate and compete for medals.

"Nordic Combined has been part of the Winter Olympics since the first Games in 1924. In Colorado, ski jumping and cross-country skiing are staples of winter sports. Jumps were built across our state, including at Steamboat Springs' Howelsen Hill, the oldest continuously operating ski area in North America," wrote the senators.

Alexa Brabec and Annika Malacinski are both Women's Nordic Combined athletes from Steamboat Springs. At the 2026 Olympic Winter Games, they are sitting on the sidelines as their counterparts on the men's Nordic Combined team, including Annika's brother, compete.

"Women's Nordic Combined deserves a place in the Olympics, and expanding that opportunity for these athletes is the right choice over eliminating tradition. We would welcome the opportunity to discuss how we might work together to achieve this important goal," concluded the senators.

The full text of the letter is available HERE and below:

Dear President Coventry,

As we celebrate the Winter Olympics, we write to encourage you to support the future of Nordic Combined by continuing to include the sport in future games and expanding participation to women.

Nordic Combined has been part of the Winter Olympics since the first Games in 1924. In the U.S. State of Colorado, ski jumping and cross-country skiing are staples of winter sports. Jumps were built across our state, including at Steamboat Springs' Howelsen Hill, the oldest continuously operating ski area in North America.

Despite this rich heritage, women are still excluded from Olympic Nordic Combined competition. The women's World Championships only began in 2020, making this a relatively new competitive landscape for elite female athletes. However, the sport has made remarkable progress in a short time, the talent is undeniable, and the potential for these women to add to the U.S. medal count is real. Right now, three American women, Alexa Brabec, Annika Malacinski, and Tara Geraghty-Moats rank 2nd, 10th, and 11th in the world, respectively. All three U.S. women would be serious medal contenders if given the opportunity to compete at the Olympics. We are also deeply concerned by reports suggesting the International Olympic Committee (IOC) may remove men's Nordic Combined rather than add the women's event. This would erase a century-old Olympic tradition instead of expanding opportunity. While Nordic Combined doesn't command the audience that figure skating or alpine skiing do, legacy sports are the very essence of what makes the Olympic movement meaningful. They tell the story of where we've been and who we are.

Women's Nordic Combined deserves a place in the Olympics, and expanding that opportunity for these athletes is the right choice over eliminating tradition.

We would welcome the opportunity to discuss how we might work together to achieve this important goal.

Sincerely,

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