Nordic combined Olympic future after IOC removal from 2030 Winter Games, Digi Mart USA News (French Alps, host of the 2030 Winter Games): The International Olympic Committee has removed Nordic combined from the program of the 2030 Winter Games. Double Olympic champion Vinzenz Geiger warns of dramatic consequences for young athletes in the sport.
The decision was made in July, and according to Geiger, athletes and officials were shocked. Speaking to Sport Bild, he described the discipline as being “on the brink.” Geiger, 29, won the overall World Cup yellow bib in the 2024/25 season, and said the news reached the team unprepared while training in Slovenia.
“We had the impression they would not take us out of the Olympic program. We were all a bit naive,” Geiger said.
Young athletes in particular now face an uncertain future, and many are considering switching to other disciplines.
An initiative led by former Olympic champion Jason Lamy Chappuis and former world-class biathlete Martin Fourcade plans to lobby French President Emmanuel Macron in November for Nordic combined to be reinstated. German Ski Association sports director Horst Hüttel said a signal from the host nation would be a chance, but acknowledged that “a lot of hope” is involved.
The host may choose one of three additional disciplines, and one spot remains open.
To win back the IOC, officials are considering a more compressed format, in which cross-country skiing could begin 15 minutes after the final jump. Hüttel said such new formats could be introduced directly in the World Cup without prior testing.
German national coach Eric Frenzel, a three-time Olympic champion, called the shorter schedule the “only possible way,” while acknowledging that the sport is “at the mercy” of decision-makers higher up. He added: “As long as Nordic combined exists in Germany, I will be there for it.”
If the 2030 effort fails, the decision on the 2034 Winter Games program is expected in the fourth quarter of 2027, which Hüttel described as another “straw to clutch.” Former overall World Cup winner Nathalie Armbruster said athletes feel helpless and exhausted: “Sometimes you just want to cry.”
Geiger said he never planned to compete until 2030, so the loss of the Olympic spot affects him less personally, but he remains concerned about the sport’s future. The coming winter will still feature a world championship and more World Cup races than ever before, including in the United States.
