VANCOUVER, British Columbia: Women's ski jumping is being left out of the 2010 Winter Olympics because there are not enough athletes to merit the sport's inclusion, not because of gender discrimination, an International Olympic Committee spokeswoman said on Wednesday.

A group of women ski jumpers is suing the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee and will get a chance to argue in British Columbia Supreme Court on April 20 for their sport to be included.

"The IOC would like to stress again the decision not to include women's ski jumping has been taken purely on technical merit," Emmanuelle Moreau, the IOC's media relations manager, said in an e-mail to The Canadian Press. "Any reference to the fact that this is a matter about gender equality is totally inappropriate and misleading."