US Nordic combined athlete Annika Malacinski has issued an Instagram following the IOC's decision to ban women from Winter Olympics sport.

Austrian Johannes Lamparter and brother duos Jens and Einaar Luraas Oftebro of Norway and Thomas and Stefan Rettenegger of Austria headline Nordic combined podium contenders at Milan Cortina 2026.

The sport has been a part of the Olympics since the first Winter Games in 1924. It’s a combination of the two main Nordic events: cross-country skiing and ski jumping. Athletes

Female athletes competing in Nordic combined plan to stage a protest Friday over the lack of a women's event at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics.

Nordic combined has been part of every Winter Games program since 1924, but it’s facing existential questions stemming from participation numbers and gender equity.

These Games are crucial for a sport facing an uncertain future.

The upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina is being hailed as a significant milestone for gender equality, with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announcing that women will comprise 47% of the athletes.

MILAN, Italy (AP) — Annika Malacinski remembers the moment the door to the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics was slammed shut. On a flight from Munich to Denver, she bought airplane Wi-Fi to join a conference call with the International Olympic Committee,