Selina Freitag won the ski jumping qualification in Garmisch-Partenkirchen last winter. While the men earned well, she received shampoo and towels. The German Ski Association reacted to the glaring gender gap.
Selina Freitag had every reason to be upset. But Germany’s best ski jumper left it at one set after her victory in qualifying at the Two Nights Tour in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. “I don’t want to complain too much about it, but you can see the differences,” said Freitag last January.
Friday received shower cream, shampoo and four towels for her victory in qualifying. The qualification winner in the men’s Four Hills Tournament, Jan Hörl from Austria, received 3,000 Swiss francs (around 3,200 euros).
A year after the “Shampoo Gate”, the German Ski Association reacted to the serious differences in the bonuses for male and female ski jumpers and aligned the qualification bonuses for the two-night tour for female ski jumpers – the equivalent of the Four Hills Tournament – to the prize money for men. The two-night tour takes place on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day in Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Oberstdorf.
“At the turn of the year, our ladies will again be taking part in the two-night tour in Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Oberstdorf. This year, a special highlight awaits: for the first time, the full qualification bonus will be awarded to the ladies,” writes the DSV on Instagram.
“It wasn’t a nice day for us. We are aware of the inequality and want to close this gap,” said race director Sandro Pertile from the World Ski Association Fis after the “shampoo gate”. The Fis and the DSV took the first step by equalizing the bonuses for a win in qualification.
“The tour would be a springboard for women”
However, there is still a big gap in prize money between men and women. The winner of the Four Hills Tournament receives 100,000 euros, the winner of the Two Nights Tour receives 10,000 euros. But this could also change if the women could also have four competitions from the 2026/27 season.
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“I think that would be another huge step for women’s ski jumping. The Four Hills Tournament has built up a reputation over decades from which women should also benefit. The tour would be a springboard for women,” said Freitag
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