In a powerful statement on gender disparity in winter sports, Norwegian world champion Gyda Westvold Hansen has made the difficult decision to abandon the sport she dominates in order to fulfill her Olympic dreams. The 23-year-old, a global superstar in Nordic combined, is switching disciplines to focus exclusively on ski jumping in a bid to secure a spot at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina. Her choice shines a harsh spotlight on the fact that Nordic combined remains the only Winter Olympic discipline without a women’s competition.
Hansen’s credentials in Nordic combined, which combines ski jumping and cross-country skiing, are nothing short of spectacular. She is a five-time world champion, including two golds at the recent 2025 World Championships. She has also won two overall World Cup titles and boasts a remarkable 23 individual victories in World Cup competition, cementing her status as a pioneer and a dominant force in a sport that is still in its infancy for women. Her decision to walk away from this dominance is a direct result of the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) refusal to include women’s Nordic combined on the Olympic program.
The IOC has cited a lack of “universality”—or widespread global participation and viewership—as the primary reason for excluding the sport. However, this argument has been met with frustration and protest from athletes and federations who point to the fact that women have a World Cup circuit and World Championships, and that the sport is steadily growing. In a previous protest, Hansen even wore a drawn-on beard during a competition to mock the “absurdity” of a men-only Olympic sport.
For Hansen, the decision to leave Nordic combined was a painful but necessary one. In a statement to the press, she said, “I’m taking the only chance I have to get to the Olympics this winter, and that is to focus on ski jumping. The Olympics mean a lot. It’s the biggest thing for every athlete. It’s something I haven’t taken part in before, but it has been a major motivation for me for many years.” Her commitment to the sport that allows her a chance at Olympic glory highlights the immense sacrifice female athletes are still required to make for an opportunity that their male counterparts have enjoyed since the first Winter Olympics in 1924.
