POSTED: Wednesday April 6th 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The International Olympic Committee opens the way for new disciplines

Today the IOC validated several new sporting events for official inclusion on the Olympic programme at the 2014 Games in Sotchi:

-      Women's ski jumping

-      Half-pipe skiing

-      Mixed biathlon relay

-      Team figure skating

-      Luge relay

Annecy 2018 is delighted by the news, which will increase the impact of the Winter Olympics in addition to highlighting several disciplines and the athletes who practice them.

Charles Beigbeder, President of the Annecy 2018 Public Interest Group, emphasised that "These are new sports. The IOC made the right decision by including these disciplines, all of which are truly spectacular, in the Olympic programme. The IOC has sent young people a clear message. We are thrilled by the idea of hosting these sports in Annecy in 2018, and we share the athletes' joy. They will be able to display all of their talents in an internationally renowned competition, which provides incredible visibility for their sports."

Coline Mattel, a new star of women's ski jumping since she took bronze at the Nordic Skiing World Championships in Oslo this February, where women's ski-jumping passed its "entry exam," explained, "I was overjoyed by today's news. The fact that women's ski-jumping has finally been recognised rewards all the girls that have been fighting for such a long time, and gives me the motivation to work even harder. I am incredibly happy and, of course, I'll be in Annecy in 2018 to compete for France and represent women's ski-jumping at the highest level of competition."

Kevin Rolland, the young French freestyle skiing champion, gold medallist at the 2009 world championships and four-time winner of the X-Games, was excited to learn that his discipline will be joining the Olympic Family at Sotchi in 2014. "I am ecstatic about this decision because the Olympic Games are the Holy Grail of all sports! We'll be able to represent our country in a competition which is known and recognised around the world and have a chance to let as many people as possible discover half-pipe skiing, while staying true to the spirit of our sport."

The possible entry of freestyle skiing, slopestyle skiing and slopestyle snowboarding will be discussed after further site inspections by the IOC.

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Keywords · 2018 · Winter · Olympic · Bids · Annecy · France · Sochi 2014 · winter sports ·

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Name: Dan Connolly
Organization: Annecy 2018 Bid Committee
Email:
Phone: 447832126775
URL: http://www.annecy2018.com

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