For the men, this weekend's competitions in Seefeld, Austria, are the last before the Winter Olympics in Italy. But Nordic combined does not have an Olympic women's event.
As a mark, all female skiers will raise their crossed poles toward the sky before Friday's race to signal that "no one should be left out."
What hurts most is that the IOC (International Olympic Committee) does not see the value in including women, says American World Cup skier Annika Malacinski.
The IOC responds that it wants a completely gender-equal Olympics in 2030. The choice is then between including women or removing Nordic combined from the program.
