Although Olympians in Milan Cortina have packed their bags and the Winter Games are over, one American athlete still carries a dream unrealized: Annika Malacinski, one of the top Nordic Combined skiers in the world.
Nordic Combined is the only Winter Olympic event that still doesn’t allow women—even as the International Olympic Committee touts that 47 percent of competing athletes in Milan Cortina were female.
Malacinski has become a vocal advocate for the sport and its inclusion of women.
In an interview with Know Your Value’s Britt Miller, Malacinski talked about the joy of watching her brother, Nordic Combined skier Niklas Malacinski, at the Olympics and the pain of being shut out of the highest honor.
“I think I will have like, scars in my heart from this for a very long time,” said Malacinski. “I dedicate 90 percent of my time in doing this and training and recovering and eating well and for just like a large organization, and in 2022 most of them were men, and they tell you that you’re just not good enough. It’s really hard to hear.”
After dedicating much of her life to the sport, which combines ski jumping and cross-country skiing, the disappointment still stings.
Years ago, the IOC decided to keep Nordic Combined a men’s-only event, saying it would revisit the matter after Milan Cortina.
Now that the 2026 Winter Games are over, the IOC said it will do a full evaluation of the sport and decide whether Nordic Combined, one of the original Winter Olympic events, will be included in the 2030 Winter Games at all.
“The future inclusion of Nordic Combined depends on significant positive developments, particularly with regard to participation and audience,” the IOC said in a statement.
Not only is Annika Malacinski hoping the sport survives, but she’s dreaming of the day when women are included—giving her a chance to compete on the Olympic stage, in the sport she loves.
