Norway’s new ski flying world record holder, Silje Opseth, has decided not to take part in the World Cup finals in Planica in protest against unequal treatment. Raw Air winner Eirin Marie Kvandal will also not compete in Slovenia.
Men are allowed to ski fly – women are not
Reason for the anger of the top jumpers: While the men in Planica are allowed to compete in three competitions from the large flying hill, the women feel fobbed off by jumping from the small normal hill. “We’re actually being trampled on, we don’t have much value,” Opseth told the daily newspaper “Dagbladet”: “The boys are allowed to ski fly and do the coolest thing in the world, and we’re next to them on the smallest ski jump. I really have to say, this is disappointing.”
Women’s Overall World Cup arrow right
At the traditional farewell party of the season, tens of thousands of fans are expected to celebrate their pilots in the “Valley of the Ski Jumps” on the weekend – on Thursday, after the men have qualified, the women will be allowed to compete in the supporting program.
Opseth: Thailand instead of Planica
Opseth, who increased the world record to 230.5 m on Sunday in Vikersund in the first women’s flying in World Cup history after a painful fall during the rehearsal (“This was a child’s dream come true”), was already on vacation with her parents Booked in Thailand. She won’t cancel this now.
The women’s jumping in Planica was scheduled at short notice by the world association FIS as a replacement for the two canceled jumpers from the normal hill in Rasnov/Romania in February. The end of the season was originally planned for last Sunday in Vikersund. The Slovenian Nika Prevc has already been confirmed as the overall World Cup winner.
