​Nordic combined, the sport that blends ski jumping with cross-country skiing, has long stood out as one of the few disciplines included at every Winter Olympics since the inaugural Games in Chamonix, France, in 1924. Now, with the 2030 Winter Games to be held in the French Alps, the IOC has dropped Nordic combined from the program, even as new events such as freeride skiing and snowboarding, synchronized skating, and ski mountaineering were added to a growing lineup. The decision does not, however, foreclose the possibility of Nordic combined returning for the 2034 Games in Utah, IOC President Kirsty Coventry indicated to reporters.
Coventry, who is both a multiple Olympic champion swimmer and the IOC’s first female and first African president, acknowledged that athletes around the world would likely feel disappointment at the move to remove a sport from the 2030 program. Yet she emphasized that discussions with the sport’s international federation have been constructive, and that the door remains open for a potential return in 2034 if conditions warrant it. “The message to the athletes is one that we know, and can fully understand that this may come as a disappointment,” she said. “But we’ve also had very good conversations with the international federation on what the expectations would be in the future and that the possibility could always remain open for 2034.”
Stefan Rettenegger of Austria, known for his performance in Nordic combined, was highlighted in coverage of the sport’s presence at the Games, though the focus now shifts to the IOCs’ broader strategic choices. The decision to remove Nordic combined from what organizers are calling the “Alpes 2030” edition was grounded in participation and audience data from recent Games, including the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Games. IOC Sports Director Pierre Ducrey explained that the sport’s popularity and global reach did not justify its inclusion for the upcoming Olympics. He also stressed that the sport could still return in the future: “Although today we identify a number of issues in the popularity and on the universality of the discipline, there is a path as per the new strategy we validated two weeks ago to come back for 2034. We will study it again, very closely.”
Ducrey added that the choice to aim for parity in male and female participation at the 2030 Games did not drive the decision to cut Nordic combined. Rather, the relevant debate centered on Nordic combined’s relatively limited reach, with a small number of nations dominating the sport, a characteristic that raised questions under the IOC’s new strategic framework. The IOC’s “new strategy” involves a seven-year, data-driven review of each sport, examining global appeal, representation, cost, and operational complexity, as well as potential additions. The framework is designed to inform decisions for both the Summer and Winter Games well in advance, enabling a more deliberate, evidence-based approach to program changes.
Utah’s 2034 Winter Games will be the first to operate under this revised methodology, which is intended to provide a clearer, more uniform basis for evaluating which sports deserve a place on the Olympic program. Organizers in Utah have indicated that, for now, their focus remains on delivering a successful Games under this new system, even as they acknowledge that changes to the lineup could occur in the future. There has been no explicit commitment to secure a revised slate for 2034, but the potential for Nordic combined to be reconsidered remains part of the IOC’s publicly stated intent to reassess and potentially reinstate the sport should conditions improve.
In sum, Nordic combined faces an uncertain immediate future: it will not be hosted at the 2030 Winter Games in the Alps, reflecting a data-driven, strategic assessment of the sport’s global reach and participation. Yet the IOC’s broader strategy explicitly contemplates a pathway back for Nordic combined by 2034, provided that the sport demonstrates the appeal and universality the Olympic program now seeks. The decision underscores the IOC’s ongoing effort to balance tradition with modernization, ensuring that every sport under consideration aligns with the federation’s updated criteria and the Olympics’ evolving audience.