The IOC is considering removing the sport from future Winter Olympics due to the small TV audience and podium positions dominated by a tiny group of nations.

MILAN, Italy — As the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics come to a close, the International Olympic Committee is considering scrapping an event for the next iteration of the Winter Games. 

Specifically Nordic combined events. The sport has been in the Olympics since 1924, according to the Olympics. It blends ski jumping, where athletes launch themselves off a slope in hopes to land the furthest distance, and cross-country skiing, where athletes ski across snow covered terrain with nothing but their skills, skis and ski poles. 

The IOC is considering removing the sport, and its three events, from future Winter Olympics due to the small TV audience and podium positions dominated by a tiny group of nations — Norway took gold in all three events this year. 

In the last three Olympics, all Nordic combined contests were won by Norway, Austria, Germany or Japan. At Milan Cortina, Germany and Japan — despite starting two of the races in first place — were shut out as Finland took two individual bronzes and a team silver.

Nordic combined was invented some 150 years ago when a Norwegian crown prince seeking glory as a champion paired the two disciplines he excelled at. It is the only winter sport that doesn’t include women. Female athletes who compete on the World Cup tour and in world championships have lobbied to change that.

The IOC also is reviewing the fate of parallel giant slalom snowboarding to make sure it meets the goal of being balanced, youth-focused and cost-efficient. 


How does Nordic combined work?

Athletes launch themselves off either the normal hill or the large hill, depending on the event. The points from the jump decide the starting order for the cross country portion of the event. 

Whoever gets the most points based on distance and style gets to start sooner than their competitors. 

Then athletes race over a snow-covered 10km distance with just their skis and ski poles. 


Where are the next Winter Olympics?

France is set to host the 2030 Winter Games. 

The competition will return to France for the first time in 38 years, with the country hosting the last Winter Games in Albertville in 1992. It will be the fourth time the Winter Olympic Games have been held in France. 

The Winter Games are scheduled for Feb. 1 to Feb. 17, 2030. The Paralympic Winter Games will take place from March 1 to March 10, 2030. While the final details of the next games are not finalized, the master plan for the French Alps Winter Olympics will focus on four areas: in Haute Savoie, Savoie, Briançon, and Nice.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.Â