US skier Annika Malacinski protests women’s exclusion from Olympic sport

American skier Annika Malacinski made a poignant appearance at a Nordic combined event during the Milan Cortina Olympics on Tuesday, as she cheered on her younger brother and staged a powerful protest.

Ms Malacinski, who travelled from her training base in Norway, watched as her brother Niklas finished 13th in his Olympic debut. For Annika, the experience was deeply bittersweet.

Nordic combined, a demanding sport that blends ski jumping with cross-country skiing, remains the sole Winter Olympic discipline that excludes women, despite female athletes competing at World Cup and World Championship levels.

"It’s heartbreaking, it really is," Annika told the Associated Press, wrapped in a distinctive pink and white coat, before taking her seat in the stands.

"I want to come here with such a positive mindset, and I am a positive person, but at the same time it is so unjust that I can ski jump and I can ski but because I’m a woman."

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During the competition, Ms Malacinski held aloft signs emblazoned with the messages "No Exception" and "Make Olympics Gender Equal," drawing attention to the disparity.

"My brother is here fulfilling his dreams and I am not," the Colorado native explained. "It’s so bittersweet and I keep talking about that. It lights a fire in me because this is so unjust and in 2030 it’s not going to be like this."

However, the future of Nordic combined itself on the Olympic programme is uncertain.

The sport, which has been part of the Games for 102 years, may not feature at the 2030 Olympics in the French Alps, with International Olympic Committee (IOC) officials set to decide its fate later this year due to concerns over audience engagement.

Ms Malacinski has become a prominent voice in the campaign for women’s inclusion and has vowed to continue her fight for change.

"The IOC is going to let the women in, and they’re finally going to ... decide the right thing, and hopefully I will be competing at the Olympics in four years," she stated. "Women deserve to be there."

For Niklas Malacinski, two years Annika’s junior at 22, their shared Olympic dream is merely delayed, not abandoned.

"We grew up very athletic and to see our childhood dreams of being on an Olympic podium together not be able to come true yet is sad," he said. "But I am optimistic for 2030."

He added: "I’ve been very impressed with… how much traction it’s getting online and how honestly (angry) people are about the current state of Nordic combined where women are still excluded."

Upon her arrival, Annika was embraced by a young Italian fan, Asia Cigalotti, who has been following her campaign online.

"I was surprised because I didn’t know that Nordic combined, for females, was not included in the Olympic Games," Ms Cigalotti said.

"(Annika) is a big support for her brother and I hope that in the future Nordic combined could also include women."