The International Olympic Committee has removed Nordic combined from the 2030 Winter Olympics in the French Alps, ending the sport's continuous presence at the Games since the first winter edition in 1924. The decision was announced on Tuesday following an executive board meeting in Lausanne.
The IOC had offered the sport's governing body an ultimatum: introduce women's events or face removal, choosing the latter after concluding insufficient progress had been made. IOC sports director Pierre Ducrey cited weak popularity and limited competitive depth, noting that all 36 medals in the last 12 competitions went to only five nations. Nordic combined had ranked as the least popular sport across the previous four Winter Games according to internal studies.
Freeride and Synchro9 will debut at the 2030 Games, which will feature 50% female athletes for the first time. IOC President Kirsty Coventry did not rule out the sport's return for Salt Lake City 2034, though Olympic champion Andreas Skoglund warned the discipline risks disappearing entirely within years. Norway's Jens Lurås Oftebro won three Nordic combined golds at the 2026 Milano Cortina Games.