OTTAWA -- International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge said Thursday that women's ski jumping was not ready for the Olympics, and its exclusion from the Vancouver Winter Games was not a gender discrimination.
"There is no discrimination whatsoever," Rogge said at a press conference after days of meetings between IOC officials and the Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC).
"The decision of the International Olympic Committee not to include women's ski jumping was taken on technical grounds not on gender issues," he said.
Rogge explained that there were too few women competing at a high international standard in the sport, although men's ski jumping has been on the programme since 1924.
"We do not want the medals to be diluted and watered down," Rogge said.
The matter has become an issue of violating anti-discrimination laws in Canada.
The Vancouver City Council joined the national and provincial governments in calling for the addition of the event.
