U.S. Nordic Combined Salvages Program with Grant

The United States Nordic combined program has been saved for the upcoming World Cup season, as the International Ski and Snowboard Federation provided the organization with a grant that will allow the NGB to stay in business.

The Associated Press reported Wednesday that FIS Nordic combined race director Lasse Ottesen declined to say how much money was given ahead of the season which begins November 28 in Ruka, Finland. Americans who compete internationally in Nordic combined, which includes ski jumping and cross-country skiing, lost funding for training and coaching from USA Nordic Sport last June.

“The amount of the grant is confidential, but we hope the support will contribute to further development of the cooperation with Norway and the youth development,” Ottesen said. “The U.S. is an important part of the Nordic Combined family and we are of course looking forward to come back to Salt Lake in 2034 for the Olympic Games.”

The decision from USA Nordic Sport sent athletes, their parents and supporters of the sport scrambling. Nordic Combined USA — an all-volunteer nonprofit led by President Jill Brabec, whose daughter, Alexa, is a Nordic combined athlete, and four-time Olympian Taylor Fletcher —asked donors for funds and made a grant request with the FIS. About $350,000 has been raised toward the organization’s $500,000 budget for the 2024–2025 season.

“We’ve come a long way, but we still have a long way to go,” said Fletcher, who is on the Nordic Combined USA board.

The grant is a contingency the Steamboat Springs, Colorado-based nonprofit needed to enter a new partnership with its Norwegian counterpart. The Americans will share coaches, training facilities, sports science data and efforts to attract sponsors with Norges Hopplandslaget.

“Definitely an extreme relief,” Niklas Malacinski, a 2026 Olympic hopeful, told The Associated Press. “I don’t know how else this would’ve been done.”

Nordic combined, which was part of the first Winter Olympics in 1924, is a mix of ski jumping along with the strength and stamina necessary for a 10-kilometer cross-country course.

It is in sports’ best interest to have an American presence because Nordic combined could potentially be cut from the 2030 Winter Games in the French Alps. That would be one way to address the discipline being the only Olympic sport without gender equality.

“There’s always that risk,” Fletcher said. “The Olympics are always looking at keeping the program fresh and adding sports can come at a cost of other sports. We’re going to focus on building the sport to create a great TV product in as many nations as possible. We’re fortunate to have this partnership with Norway again to allow our athletes to showcase the sport in the U.S. and across the world.”