Four Hills tournament for women ski jumpers to go ahead this year
Women competitors will be part of ski jumping's traditional Four Hills Tournament for the first time this year to coincide with its 75th edition, world governing body the FIS confirmed on Friday. The dates scheduled are December 28 in Germany's Oberstdorf, December 31 in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, January 2, 2027 in the Austrian city of Innsbruck and January 5, 2027 in Bischofshofen. The women's competitions will therefore take place on the men's qualification day in each case.
There had long been accusations of sexism given ski jumping's most famous annual event only involved men. The women's Four Hills Tournament replaces the Two-Nights Tour, which in recent years was held at the two venues in Germany around the turn of the year. At the venues in Austria, the lack of floodlights was the central problem for years.
The FIS aims to gradually align the men's and women's ski-jumping calendars, similar to biathlon. In the coming World Cup season, there will be mixed competitions in Lillehammer in Norway, in Willingen in Germany, in Sapporo in Japan and in Lake Placid in the US. The world championships run from February 24 to March 7 in Falun, Sweden.