Patrick Thorne, Author at InTheSnow

Just a few months after the successful delivery of the maiden FIS Freeride World Championships, in Andorra, Freeride has taken yet another step forward in its dazzling journey and is set to make its Olympic debut in 2030 ─ just 34 years after the establishment of its first competitive event, the Xtreme Verbier in 1996. The Freeride World Tour now counts on more than 10,000 licensed riders worldwide and more than 300 annual competitions across four continents. “It is clear why Freeride’s combination of raw excitement on a stunning natural terrain is an appealing addition to the Games,” said FIS President Alexander Ospelt . “Above and beyond that, Freeride is a success story on the development level: within a couple of decades, the discipline created a structured pathway for athletes to compete, from the junior level all the way to the elite.” Comprising four events to be staged at Montgenevre, it will provide an Olympic opportunity for 44 athletes (22 women and 22 men) to compete at the Games for the first time. Freeride started in the 1990s to develop as a discipline. The announcement that Freeride events will be part of the next Winter Olympics, set to take place in the French Alps in 2030, was amongst a swathe of decisions announced by the IOC's Executive Board meeting in Lausanne today. The IOC also announced that the Alpes 2030 Olympic Games will see equal participation of men and women for the first time and that, provisionally, Russian athletes will be allowed to compete again, with the IOC stating that global geopolitical uncertainty meant that exclusively excluding Russia and Belarus was no longer justified. https://www.youtube.com/watch?vXRN6pIkywvk Commenting on the inclusion of Freeride, Nicolas Hale-Woods, Founder and CEO, FIS Freeride World Tour commented. "It's a moment of joy for the entire freeride community, and the result of three decades of commitment and dedication alongside an incredible team. My first thoughts go to the riders, from those who first believed in this discipline and helped build it, to the young athletes who can now dream of an Olympic medal. I think too of the organizers and everyone who has grown this sport over the years, and of all the partners who trusted us throughout the journey." In terms of equal participation by male and female athletes, the Alpes 2030 Olympic Winter Games will make history as the first Winter Games with gender parity. The athlete quota places will be distributed equally. Some 3,046 athletes (1,525 female and 1,521 male, including athletes in ski mountaineering as an additional sport) are set to compete across 126 events – 56 for women, 55 for men and 15 mixed. Skiing is one of the sports that will increase women’s participation, reaching full parity, from 48.6% at the last Games to 50% in 2030. Ski mountaineering (sport proposed by the French Alps 2030 Organising Committee and approved by the 146th IOC Session in June) will also be formally included with Individual discipline men’s individual and women’s individual events and well as Sprint discipline men’s sprint, women’s sprint and mixed relay events on the schedule. The Freestyle skiing event of mixed team ski cross as well as mixed team snowboard parallel events have been added whilst it was decided that the threatened Snowboard Parallel Giant Slalom event will be retained after all. Initial sports programme The seven sports on the Alpes 2030 initial sports programme were approved by the 142nd IOC Session in Paris in July 2024, at the same time as the host election. In addition, ski mountaineering was officially included as an additional sport on the programme for the Alpes 2030 Olympic Winter Games. The decision was taken by the 146th IOC Session in Lausanne in June 2026, following a proposal from the French Alps 2030 Organising Committee. Further information on the Olympic programme can be found via this link: Sports programme and results - FAQ (olympics.com). Venue masterplan updates approved The French Alps 2030 Organising Committee also proposed some updates to the Alpes 2030 venue masterplan which were approved by the IOC EB in addition to those approved at the previous meeting on 22 June. Following the 146th IOC Session decision on 25 June 2026 to include ski mountaineering in the Alpes 2030 sports programme, the EB approved Montgenèvre as the host venue for this sport. This allows for integration with an existing competition venue and the Olympic Village in Briançon, ensuring operational efficiency and athlete convenience. The IOC EB also approved adjustments to the Paralympic venue masterplan to create a more compact plan and maximise the use of Olympic venues, subject to approval by the International Paralympic Committee Governing Board.

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