The International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed in an announcement made on Tuesday in Lausanne that the next Winter Olympics, to take place in the French Alps in 2030, will not include the Nordic combined events. The discipline had featured at every Winter Olympics since the inaugural Games in 1924 in Chamonix.

The IOC said the event had the lowest levels of audience engagement and popularity across recent editions of the Winter Olympics, adding the sport has limited international reach on top of that.

Nordic combined combines ski jumping and cross-country skiing, with athletes competing in both disciplines.

"Today's decision is not only a loss for skiing but for Estonian sport as a whole," said Kristjan Koll, secretary general of the Estonian Ski Association.

"Nordic combined has been part of our national identity and has given the Estonian people countless memorable moments over the decades. Removing from the Olympic program a sport that attracts television audiences in the tens of millions is, to put it mildly, unfair. We also sincerely feel for today's athletes, whose dreams have suffered a devastating blow," Koll went on.

EOK president Erich Teigamägi went as far as to say the decision jeopardizes the whole sport.

"This is not simply the removal of one sport from the Olympic program. A decision like this puts the entire future of Nordic combined at risk," he said, adding: "For many sports, Olympic status is the main source of visibility, funding and athlete development. If a sport disappears from the Olympic stage, public and media attention inevitably declines, followed by reduced sponsor interest and investment, as well as fading motivation among young athletes. The impact of this decision is therefore far broader than the absence of a single event from the Olympic Games."

Looking ahead, the future of Nordic combined remains uncertain, with no word yet from the International Ski and Snowboard Federation on the World Cup beyond the 2026/27 season or the sport's place at the 2029 World Championships. One thing is confirmed, however: Otepää will host a Nordic combined World Cup event in January 2027.

Estonia's Kristjan Ilves and Ruubert Teder finished 10th in the men's Nordic combined team event at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics earlier this year. Kristjan Ilves finished sixth in the normal hill component of the men's individual event.

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