Female ski jumpers to take Olympics exclusion case to B.C. Court of Appeal

[mr.x]

Absolutely retarded.

Female ski jumpers to take Olympics exclusion case to B.C. Court of Appeal

By Jeff Lee, Vancouver Sun
July 16, 2009

VANCOUVER — Female ski jumpers who lost a court case to force the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee to hold an event for them in 2010 are launching an appeal.

Saying they had won "90 per cent of the case" but not the key point, the women said they believe they can convince the B.C. Court of Appeal to rule in their favour.

"We won on the issue of discrimination, and we won on the issue that Vanoc is subject to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms," Deedee Corradini, the president of Women's Ski Jumping USA, said Thursday. "What we want is for the judges to agree that Vanoc must hold an event because it is subject to the Charter. All we are asking for is one event."

On July 10 B.C. Supreme Court Justice Lauri Ann Fenlon ruled that while the International Olympic Committee had indeed discriminated against the 15 female plaintiffs, it was not subject to either the court or the Charter and could not be forced to hold an event for them at the 2010 Winter Games.

In a statement released Thursday, Ross Clark, the jumpers' lawyer, said he'll argue Vanoc must host the Games in accordance with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

“It cannot host events on Canadian soil that implement discrimination,” he said. The appeal will be formally filed on Friday.

With only months to go before the Games, time is running out for the women. But Corradini, a former mayor of Salt Lake City, said Vanoc should be prepared in the event the three-judge appeal court finds in the women's favour.

"We're asking for an expedited hearing. Vanoc has known for more than a year that it could have to put on an event for the women, and so they must have a contingency plan."

Vanoc said it was developing a response to the women's announcement and would issue a statement later today.

http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/Femal...ion+case+Court+Appeal/1797542/story.html



Comments from the Sun:


Gordon
July 16, 2009 - 4:57 PM

What part of 'the IOC always puts on the Olympics which it owns, in the chosen venue' do people not understand? This time Vancouver was chosen to HOST the Olympics, not to put them on. VANOC has no say whatsoever in what events are presented; it is nothing more than the organizer of the locations used, and helps the IOC. VANOC cannot in any sense of the word decide what is or isn't presented.




Vancouver hippe
July 16, 2009 - 4:46 PM

If you want to have an event, organize your sport on the world stage, become recognized, hjold pre-qualifying events etc. and compete legitamtely. you guys have not even done pre-qualifcation rounds.




unbelievable
July 16, 2009 - 3:39 PM

who is paying for all this? i hope the Women's ski jump association is footing the bill. as long as tax dollars are not funding this, because public court is being tied up and that is bad enough. do the women not understand the judgement, or are they receiving bad advice from their council? the ruling last week is straight forward - VANOC does not dictate what makes an Olympic event. the IOC makes this determintation based on a series of qualifying criteria. the women's ski jumping does not meet the qualifications, period. it looks to be a growing sport which is great, so maybe the women will qualify for an exhibition event in 2014. thise case is a complete waste of court time and money. i hope the women's association has to pay for the frivolous waste of this court time.