Women’s Ski Jumping: FISU Pioneer in the Introduction of New Disciplines

Daniela Irashko (AUT), first gold medallist ever on a women’s ski jumping event at the Winter Universiade, Innsbruck 2005

Daniela Irashko from Austria, double gold medallist at the Winter Universiade (2005-2007), World Champion 2011 and silver medallist at the Sochi Olympic Games 2014LAUSANNE –While women’s ski jumping is an Olympic discipline for the first time at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, FISU already included it in its sports programme of the 2005 Winter Universiade in Innsbruck, Austria.

FISU has always had a pioneering role in the introduction of new disciplines in its sports programme. Snowboarding was already on the Winter Universiade programme in Jaca (1995) before it appeared in the Winter Olympics three years later in Nagano. And these are just two examples among many others.

FISU takes advantage of the excellent relations it has with the International Sports Federations to test new competition formats and its benefits for student-athletes. Most recently at the Winter Universiade in Trentino (2013), FISU in close collaboration with the FIS, added another new ski jumping discipline: the mixed team competition (a team consisting of a male and female jumper). The goal was to offer women (who currently compete on the normal hill) a second opportunity to compete and to have more countries participating in a team competition. The athletes were enthusiast and excited. No need to say it was a successful event.

Daniela confirms

Anecdotally, note that Austrian female ski jumper Daniela Iraschko-Stolz, who was a double gold medallist at the Winter Universiade, i.e. Innsbruck 2005 and Turin 2007, finished second in the competition at the current Sochi Olympics. She therefore confirms her place with this beautiful silver. Also note that the Slovenian Maja Vtic, who ended 5th at the 2013 Trentino WU, finished in 6th place at the competitions in Sochi.

Please find the interview with Daniela by following this link

Yvan Dufour, Editor-in-Chief