IOC approves new sports for 2030 Winter Olympics, removes Nordic combined from program
The 2030 Winter Olympics in the French Alps will feature new events, while one long-running Olympic sport will be removed from the program.
The International Olympic Committee approved the addition of synchronized skating and freeride skiing and snowboarding for the 2030 Games, while keeping snowboard parallel giant slalom after the event faced uncertainty over its Olympic future.
Nordic combined, a sport that combines ski jumping and cross-country skiing and has been part of the Olympics for more than a century, will be eliminated from the program. The IOC considered expanding the event to include women’s and team competitions to improve gender balance but ultimately decided to remove it entirely.
Synchronized skating will make its Olympic debut in the nine-member Synchro9 format. The discipline, which has traditionally been associated with female competitors, will initially be women-only when it appears at the 2028 Youth Winter Olympics in Italy. Officials have left open the possibility of allowing men to compete in the future.
Freeride skiing and snowboarding will bring athletes to natural terrain where they perform jumps, turns and tricks rather than competing solely on traditional slopes.
Snowboard parallel giant slalom, which helped launch the Olympic career of Czech two-time gold medalist Ester Ledecka, will remain in the 2030 program despite concerns that the racing event had become less popular compared with trick-based snowboarding competitions.
The IOC also announced changes involving Russian athletes ahead of the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Olympic sports organizations were advised to end a three-year review process for determining whether Russian athletes could compete under neutral status.
The IOC also provisionally lifted its suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee, which had been imposed after the organization incorporated regional sports councils from areas of Ukraine occupied by Russia. However, Russian athletes and teams have not yet been approved to compete under their national flag and anthem.
The next Olympic event will be the 2026 Youth Summer Olympics in Dakar, Senegal, scheduled to begin on Oct. 31.
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