Given the popularity of the snowboard halfpipe event in the Olympics, the International Skiing Federation (FIS) Congress announced last week that they have adopted French and U.S. proposals for ski halfpipe and formally applied to the International Olympic Committee.
The sport has been considered for several years now and the IOC has already indicated some interest, but a lot of work needs to be done to complete the application, such as showing that the sport has reached a certain level in terms of participation.
The next step will be for the IOC Program Commission to review the proposal, which will in turn make a recommendation to the IOC executive board. If everything is in order it could be approved as early as November - along with the sport of women's ski jumping.
The Canadian Freestyle Ski Association, which has supported a national program for halfpipe in the past, is excited about the prospect of ski halfpipe in 2014.
Whistler's Sarah Burke is the reigning World Champion, although she missed World Cup events last year with an injury. Other national competitors include Mike Riddle and Justin Dorey on the men's side, and Megan Gunning, Rosalind Groenwoud and Dania Assaly for the women.
"We have a number of extremely strong and competitive halfpipe skiers in this country who have repeatedly excelled in competition, both in FIS World Cups and on the pro circuit," said Peter Judge, CEO of the Canadian Freestyle Ski Association. "We know that it is a lifelong dream for these athletes to have the opportunity to compete on the world stage at the Sochi Winter Olympic Games in 2014. We are working along with our FIS partners to help make this happen."
