Nordic combined dropped from the Alpes 2030 Olympic Winter Games schedule with freeride and synchro9 to make debut in France

React to this story

The Nordic combined event has been dropped from the Alpes 2030 Olympic Winter Games schedule, while freeride and synchro9 have been added to the competition being hosted in the French Alps, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced on Tuesday.

Watch: 'Right on the line!' - Just centimetres in it as Oftebro seals remarkable gold for Norway

Video credit: TNT Sports

Nordic combined sees two separate sports come together, with athletes taking part in a ski jump competition first, the results of which will determine the start of the cross-country competition.

But following a meeting of the Executive Board of the IOC, it was decided the event would be dropped for the 2030 Games, citing a lack of interest in recent years.

In their report, the IOC said that Nordic combined ranked lowest among all disciplines at the Winter Games across the past four editions, according to "popularity indicators".

Olympics

Competing with Pride: Building a more inclusive future for sport

29/06/2026 at 10:53

"At the most recent Olympic Winter Games, it was the lowest-ranked discipline in 11 of the 14 popularity indicators assessed," it said.

The popularity metrics used by the IOC include "broadcast coverage, digital media, general public interest, ticketing and press, involving up to 50+ markets per indicator," it said.

In addition to the waning interest, the IOC said Nordic combined faces challenges in terms of "universality and participation," with only five nations winning medals in the event across the last four Games.

At the most recent Winter Games in Italy, there were three separate events on the Olympic Nordic combined programme, all of which were men’s competitions.

Jens Luras Oftebro won gold in all three events, finishing first alongside countryman Andreas Skoglund in the team event.

The addition of freeride and synchro9

The two events which will make their Olympic debut in 2030 are the freeride (both skiing and snowboarding) and synchro9.

As defined by U.S. Ski & Snowboard: "Freeride is a discipline in which skiers and snowboarders descend natural, ungroomed terrain rather than a set course, choosing their own line through features like cliffs, chutes and powder fields.

"Athletes are judged on a combination of line choice, control, fluidity, technique and style, rather than on time."

Freeride has become one of the more popular winter sports, mainly because of its young fanbase and stunning visuals.

It will have four events for 44 athletes (22 women and 22 men).

Synchro9, meanwhile, is a figure skating team event which sees nine competitors take to the ice in a "faster, more dynamic competition structure designed for both live events and broadcast," the International Skating Union said.

First gender-equal Winter Olympics

The IOC also announced that the 2030 Winter Olympics is set to "achieve gender parity by quota allocation for the first time in Olympic Winter Games history."

The female athlete quota will account for 50% of the participating 3,046 athletes. There will also be parity between men's and women's events, with 56 women’s and 55 men’s events, in addition to 15 mixed events.

Add TNT Sports as a preferred source here to enjoy more content like this.

The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is HBO Max, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes live sport and entertainment in one destination

Winter Olympics

French Alps inspires official 2030 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games logos

18/06/2026 at 18:30