Almost all major ski and snowboard sports now award the same prize money for women and men in the World Cup. Two exceptions stand out: ski jumping and Nordic combined.
It gets frustrating. The men have brought in more in terms of viewers and so on, so I've had some understanding for it. But the problem is that every year when they increase for us, they also increase for the men. And then we never catch up, says Frida Westman.
And it's a lot about us getting to compete in the same competitions to get the interest up. It doesn't help when we don't get to jump the entire ski jumping week.
Received bad prizes for the victory
At the beginning of the year, there were big headlines during the German-Austrian ski jumping week, a classic annual event with four competitions for men. Now, the women have a corresponding mini-tour, but with only two competitions and significantly different prize money.
German Selina Freitag bitterly noted that the man who won the qualification in Garmisch-Partenkirchen was rewarded with nearly 40,000 kronor, while she herself received a bag of bad prizes.
The symbolism cannot be underestimated, says Frida Westman.
It says that it may not be as important to them. Or I don't know how they think, but it becomes a bit like spitting someone in the face, that you're not worth as much as the men, says Westman.
In the World Cup, an individual victory on the men's side corresponds to around 150,000 kronor. The women's winner in the corresponding competition receives a third of that amount, barely 50,000 kronor.
World Championship a milestone
Frida Westman would also like to see not only female jumpers taking the lead for change.
It's always the women who stand up for this, it would be nice if more men could be more pushy too. I think it's sometimes lacking.
That a World Championship gold medal for the first time gives the same amount for women's and men's winners – around 390,000 kronor – is welcome, says Frida Westman, who in her comeback from a long-term injury became 34th in the normal hill at the World Championship last week.
It feels great. I think it's a big step forward. And very important for the sport. Even with motivation for those who put in time and effort, says Westman.
Lasse Mannheimer/TT
Facts: Prize money in the major winter sports
TT
This is how the prize money looks for the major ski and snowboard sports. Some competitions are exceptions, for example, the prize money is significantly higher in the Alpine World Cup in Kitzbühel (where only men compete), but the figures below represent the standard levels for a World Cup competition:
Ski jumping
Men, individual: 86,100 CHF (Swiss francs) total in prize money per competition. The winner receives 13,000 CHF.
Women, individual: 30,229 CHF. The winner receives 4,300 CHF.
Nordic combined
Men: 39,780. The winner receives 9,000.
Women: 15,600. The winner receives 4,500.
Cross-country
Men: 55,000. The winner receives 15,000.
Women: 55,000. The winner receives 15,000.
Alpine
Men: 144,000. The winner receives 47,000.
Women: 144,000. The winner receives 47,000.
Freestyle
Men: 30,000. The winner receives 13,500.
Women: 30,000. The winner receives 13,500.
Snowboard
Men: 30,000. The winner receives 13,500.
Women: 30,000. The winner receives 13,500.
Biathlon
Men: Approximately 95,000 CHF (101,500 euros). The winner receives approximately 14,000 CHF.
Women: Approximately 95,000 CHF. The winner receives approximately 14,000 CHF.
