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Ski mountaineering at 2026 Olympics

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Cheizz

Cheizz

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I am not sure if this new discipline is part of the Alpine events. And in other skiing categories - let's say freestyle - there is no issue with having a strong ski cross team and also a strong mogul team, right? I suppose, they will have a quota for the ski mountaneering events. Just like in Biathlon and cross country. Don't know, but that would seem logical, no?
 

cantunamunch

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I am not sure if this new discipline is part of the Alpine events. And in other skiing categories - let's say freestyle - there is no issue with having a strong ski cross team and also a strong mogul team, right? I suppose, they will have a quota for the ski mountaneering events. Just like in Biathlon and cross country. Don't know, but that would seem logical, no?

Notice this clause:

An athlete quota of 48 (24 men/24 women) falling within the overall quota framework of 2,900.

Now that likely means 48 total (all countries) skimo competitors for each venue...but if so, the 2,900 looks frightfully like a soft cap on all competitors - including hockey teams.

I have absolutely no idea how overall quotas for these things get set, but it seems there will have to be something in place, if for no other reason than to avoid sport-packing by politically-minded countries.
 
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Cheizz

Cheizz

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Since it will be only at the 2026 Olympics (for now), doesn't that make it a 'demonstration event'? And do quotas cover those too?
 

sparty

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I am not sure if this new discipline is part of the Alpine events. And in other skiing categories - let's say freestyle - there is no issue with having a strong ski cross team and also a strong mogul team, right? I suppose, they will have a quota for the ski mountaneering events. Just like in Biathlon and cross country. Don't know, but that would seem logical, no?
Actually, the U.S. left a men's mogul spot open in at least one of the recent games in order to send a skiercross athlete instead. The total sport (i.e. "Freestyle Skiing") quota cap does come into play there, and I believe is part of the reason that skiercross is considered a Freestyle Skiing event rather than an Alpine Skiing one (i.e. to avoid cutting into already-tight quotas for nations with big racing programs).

With that said, the release citing a different international governing body would lead me to think they are actually treating it as a separate sport, not as additional events within an existing sport. Adhering to the venue-sharing model "with no additional or standalone Games venue for ski mountaineering" sounds unfortunate to me, though.
 

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