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Local Olympic organizers have no power to include women’s ski jumping: court

British Columbia’s highest court says Vancouver Olympic officials have no power to include women’s ski jumping in the 2010 Olympics, so they can’t be found to be violating the athletes’ rights.
Meaghan Reid, Charlotte Mitchell
Ski jumper Meaghan Reid

VANCOUVER — British Columbia’s highest court says Vancouver Olympic officials have no power to include women’s ski jumping in the 2010 Olympics, so they can’t be found to be violating the athletes’ rights.

The B.C. Appeal Court dismissed the jumpers’ case last week, but the reasons for the unanimous decision weren’t released until today.

In the ruling, the three-member appeal panel agree that the decision about which events are included in the Olympics rests solely with the International Olympic Committee.

The ruling says the local organizing committee, known as VANOC, has no legal or practical power to add events to the Games, and can’t be held accountable.

The appeal judges disagreed with a lower court finding that the exclusion of women’s ski jumpers is discriminatory.

The appeal ruling says that section of the charter does not apply because no Canadian entity has control over what are chosen to be Olympic events.