Friday’s news that the BC Supreme Court has dismissed a bid by a group of women ski jumpers to compete in the 2010 Olympics is a blow to the women ski jumpers themselves, who hold the same Olympic dreams as their male counterparts. It is also a blow to all Canada’s women, who have been led to believe that outright discrimination against women won’t stand up in our courts.
The judge found that the practice of excluding the women ski jumpers is in fact discriminatory, and that VANOC is subject to the Charter, but that only the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has the power to determine Olympic events. The IOC, for its part, has assured us that the fact that men ski jumpers can compete, but women ski jumpers cannot is “not about gender”, but is instead a “technical issue”. (The men, like the women, come from a smaller number of countries than called for by regulation, but unlike the women, have competed in the Olympics since 1924.)
As a result of this ruling, and the earlier and ongoing failure of our political leaders to take a stand, there is going to be a huge international event on Canadian soil, watched by people all over the world, drawing unprecedented attention to the city of Vancouver, paid for with a lot of your tax dollars, occupying our democratically-elected government’s attention, and, did I mention, paid for with a lot of your tax dollars, and there will be formal, outright discrimination against women from this and other countries.
Notwithstanding the judge’s concerns about jurisdiction, and VANOC’s contractual agreement with the IOC, this is as much a moral and political issue as a legal issue: the IOC’s rules, Canada’s relationship with the IOC, and even the elegance of the Olympic events schedule are being prioritized above the principles of non-discrimination and equality. Our hard-earned rights to exclude from public funds any and all venues that exclude women are being pushed aside to accommodate an international organization that is practicing discrimination.
Canada could have made a powerful statement and, as an added bonus, complied with domestic law, by raising the issue early in negotiations with the IOC and saying something like “We are thrilled to have the Olympics in our country. Our people won’t stand for discrimination though, and neither will we [fictional enlightened government]. So let’s put those talented and determined women ski jumpers in the program where they belong, and be done with it. Right? Right.” Or, when the women started challenging the IOC and VANOC before Canadian courts, VANOC could have chosen to fight with the IOC to get the women in, rather than fighting the women in Canadian Courts to keep them out. At any point at all, somebody, somewhere in any government in this country might have stood up and said “These are tax payer dollars, and much as we respect the IOC’s jurisdiction over the rules and regulations of the Games, there are certain things we just won’t compromise on”. VANOC may be the organizing committee, and the IOC may have all the power over the Olympics, but if our democratically-elected government hosts and pays for the games, it has a duty to enforce the basic standards governing our country. This is a political issue and needs a political response.
One of the women ski jumpers, interviewed on CBC radio, commented that the decision “just goes to show how powerful the IOC is”. I would say that the situation demonstrates how discriminatory the IOC is, and how unwilling our leaders are to stand up for equality.
Today the women ski jumpers are saying they’ll keep fighting, and they need allies. Write to you Member of Parliament and ask them to do something to advance equality for men and women in sport at Vancouver’s Olympic Games. Join the facebook group “Include female Ski Jumpers in the Olympics”. I became the 2,831st member tonight, and there should be a lot more of us. Sign the petition and check out the facts at http://www.wsj2010.com/.
She who holds the pen...
Women, popular culture, bodies and beauty.
El Nino is back and expected to also participate in the winter games by providing us with lots of fog and pouring rains. But no worry Olympic Committee are no wet heads as they ran out an loaded up with snow machines. Do they know something I don't know about warm rains and snow as its going to be more a water slide event than a snow skiing event? Maybe they can get Rhianna to come to the event and get her to sing her Umbrella song. Not that it will make a difference but no one does the umbrella more justice than the singer and of course Vancouver which you don't want to be visiting without your own umbrella especially during our winters.
Whats in store for the Olympics especially if the one in Vancouver turns out to be a disaster? Along with the major pollution to the environment as the event is the major cause of serious pollution as cities jam themselves up with immigrants to a point where it is unhealthy and a major hazard to the environment. As its ten years of buildings highways,buildings homes, building dams, selling public property, building major recreations all preparing for the ten day event as its tonnes and tonnes of construction along with tonnes and tonnes of pollution. As many major buildings go unused after China's Olympics and has its own financial woes after spending so much money on the event.
As those former billions the Liberals bragged of leading up to the big event as its billions into a deficit along a slippery slope. And no the greedy don't always prosper and that truly is an event worth seeing as greed and discrimination are forced to lose out as the universe has her say about the destruction of the planet for a rich man's sporting event.
Why go there you might say when we are talking about women being discriminated against participating in a event? Exactly, why not just close down the event all together as clearly the Greed Merchant is not worth the harm it does to the environment as its a major contributor to pollution both before and during the Olympics as air travel get set to jet about 450,000 tonnes of pollution to watch the guys slip and slide down the slopes.