LIVIGNO, Italy — On a day when she failed to retain her Olympic title after a surprise loss in the quarterfinals of the women’s parallel giant slalom, Ester Ledecka strongly criticized the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for even considering scrapping the event at the next Winter Olympics.
Ahead of Milan Cortina, snowboarders had already started the social media campaign #keepPGSolympic in response to the IOC’s ongoing review of the future of the Olympic programme.
Asked about the parallel giant slalom Olympic future, the Czech snowboarder told reporters, “I am very sad that they would even consider taking the snowboarding out of the Olympic Games.
“If you’d rather put some f—ing video games in the Olympics, or something like that. I’m sorry, but beach volleyball at the Winter Olympics? Come on. Beach volleyball, I don’t see a sport which would belong more to the Summer Olympics,” said Ledecka, a three-time Olympic champion who was going for a three-peat in the parallel giant slalom.
“I just wish the person responsible would see the crowds, see how f—ing amazing the race was. I say that even when I lost.”
IOC communications director Christian Klaue told The Athletic discussions were “open” and “ongoing” and formed part of the bigger picture regarding how the Olympic Games could remain relevant to different audiences and age groups around the world.
Ester Ledecka was aiming for a three-peat in the parallel giant slalom. (Cameron Spencer / Getty Images)
One of the working groups that forms the IOC’s Fit For The Future review is looking into the Winter and Summer Olympic sports programme, specifically the relevance of current sports and the introduction of new sports and disciplines.
Chaired by committee member Karl Stoss, the IOC said in September that the review is also considering “the suggestion that traditional summer or winter sports could cross over.”
In December, the IOC Executive Board postponed its timeline for deciding the sports programme of the 2030 Winter Olympics in the French Alps until June 2026.
The sports on the initial programme for 2030 (biathlon, bobsleigh, skeleton, ice hockey, luge, skating, ski and snowboard and curling) were approved in Paris 2024, but the IOC will evaluate the disciplines for each sport, including snowboarding’s parallel giant slalom and skiing’s Nordic combined, after data from Milan Cortina has been evaluated. Klaue said data points after the 2022 and 2018 Winter Olympics suggested those disciplines needed closer inspection.
Snowboarding first appeared at the Winter Olympics in 1998 with the giant slalom and halfpipe events. The giant slalom format was replaced with parallel giant slalom at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games. In parallel giant slalom, two competitors race side-by-side, navigating gates while racing downhill. In the elimination rounds, the winner stays on.
“We are racing together, men and women,” Germany’s Cheyenne Loch told The Athletic on Saturday. “It’s on the same course, on the same day, we get the same prize money. It couldn’t be more equal. The young athletes deserve to live their dreams. It’s just sad to shatter them.
“… It’s such a cool sport to watch. It’s head-to-head, so it’s easy to understand. It’s pure racing, and it’s about speed. I don’t really understand why we have to fight for it.”
Ledecka, who became the first female athlete to win gold in two different Winter Olympic disciplines (snowboarding and Alpine skiing at PyeongChang in 2018), had to choose between snowboard parallel giant slalom and Alpine skiing downhill in Milan Cortina due to a scheduling clash.
“I was really proud and happy to snowboard today,” she added. “I chose to do this instead of skiing. I don’t have any regrets because it’s a beautiful sport which belongs to the Olympics.
“I would love the person responsible to see how amazing this event is. They would say: ‘Oh, we were stupid to consider taking it out.’”
Karl Benjamin retained the title he won in Beijing four years ago. (David Ramos / Getty Images)
On an Olympic day already heavy on drama, the parallel giant slalom produced surprises, history and a memorable celebration at Livigno Snow Park.
In one of the biggest shocks of the Games so far, Ledecka — the gold medallist in the event in 2018 and 2022 — made a mistake early in her quarterfinal against eventual silver medalist Sabine Payer and failed to recover, crossing the line 0.06 seconds behind.
The Czech Republic did, however, enjoy a third Olympic gold in the women’s event as Zuzana Maderova beat Austria’s Payer in the final by 0.83 seconds.
History was also made as Karl Benjamin, winning the men’s final by 0.19 seconds, retained his title to become the first athlete to win four Olympic snowboard medals.
The 40-year-old removed his top at the finish line and gave out a guttural, Wolverine-style roar before lying chest down on the snow as he took in the enormity of his accomplishment. The Austrian had won silver in Vancouver in 2010, bronze in Sochi and gold four years ago in Beijing.