- Target:
- To change the IOC Ruling to Permit Female Participation in Olympic Ski Jumping
- Region:
- Canada
Recently a large group of female athletes took their cause to the BC Supreme Court to challenge the IOC ruling to exclude females from participating in ski jumping in the upcoming Olympics. While a moral victory was won, the IOC ruling still stands fast.
Jacques Rogge, President of the IOC refused to acknowledge or even meet with these delegates seeking a change in this ruling. In fact he ignored them completely as if they or their pursuit didn't matter at all.
I am outraged at his ignornance and inability to see the discriminatory aspect of this ruling. I am 58 years old today and it has been a very, very long time since anything has both hurt and angered me the way this has. I love the Olympics, watching athletes who work their duffs off to reach the level of perfection they do. As a Canadian woman, I wholeheartedly support their endeavours in their quest for excellence. It is a long and gruelling road to the top of the mountain. To not be able to see women excluded from this pursuit is unjust, unfair and prejudicial and morally just plain WRONG, WRONG, WRONG.....
I am doing this because I firmly believe that there are plenty of talented, competitive, determined, diciplined female participants from all over the world who should be given the chance to prove themselves in this arena.
We have come a very, very long way worldwide in granting women equal status. This arbitrary ruling negates that progress and should not be tolerated. Further I believe the IOC's refusal to even revisit their stance demonstrates a dangerous "close mindedness" that not only hurts woman worldwide, but serves only to promote the interests of their male counterparts in this particular sport.
We the Canadian People take great exception, are extremely disappointed and outright angry with the recent IOC decision to exclude women athletes from participating in Ski Jumping events at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
Further, we believe this decision is not only blatantly discriminatory, prejudicial, exclusionary and undemocratic, but it flies in the face of the Canadian Charter of Rights (recently proven in the nation's courts in British Columbia). It serves to promote the interests of male athletes in this arena only.
Canadians enjoy, live and thrive in a free and democratic society and continually cast their vote (as is their right) to promote and harbour an all encompassing society whereby all human beings are created equal. It is their inherent right (enshrined in our Charter) and priviledge to compete for and excel in their place of employment and in sporting activities of their own choosing, whatever that choice may be.
We respectfully demand the IOC revisit this decision in the interest of preserving the integrity, unity, harmony, and respect the Olympic Games rightly deserve. BUT above all, the fairness and the "Right to Participate" is what is truly at stake here.
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