USSA to ask FIS to allow Lindsey Vonn to ski vs. men at Lake Louise
— -- The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) will take a formal proposal to the executive board of the International Ski Federation (FIS) next week requesting permission for Lindsey Vonn, the most decorated skier in American history, to compete in a World Cup competition against men at Lake Louise in 2018.
Vonn, with more than 77 wins and 130 podiums in her career, has made no secret of her desire to compete against the men, suggesting last year she could "beat some boys and call it a day."
The idea has been informally discussed by FIS in the past, but those talks stalled with the federation seemingly unwilling to bend its rules that don't allow skiers of different genders to compete against one another.
"It will be a very difficult challenge to find a reasonable way of doing this," FIS boss Atle Skaardal said this summer. If the ladies are allowed to race with the men, then also the men need to be authorized to ski with the ladies. And I'm not sure this is a direction we want to go. It's a difficult topic."
At that summer meeting, Skaardal suggested that US Ski and Snowboard bring together a formal proposal on how such a move could work. Vonn has the support of U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association, which sees the potential marketing value in Vonn competing against the men. But the logistics aren't easy -- what happens to the points if Vonn finishes in the top 30? Where should she start in the field? Those and other issues will be discussed at the FIS autumn meetings in Zurich, Switzerland next week.
Perhaps foreshadowing the talks ahead, the FIS said the following about the Vonn issue in its pre-meeting news release, "Certainly this is an anticipated topic that divides the FIS officials."
Vonn, who will turn 33 in October and is currently training for the Pyeongchang Olympics after suffering a fractured humerus bone last November, has said she plans to retire after the 2018-19 season. In addition to winning gold at the upcoming Winter Games and earning 10 more World Cup victories, breaking the record, racing men is one of the final goals of her career.
"I know I'm not going to win, but I would like to at least have the opportunity to try," Vonn told the Denver Post earlier this year. "I think I've won enough World Cups where I should have enough respect within the industry to be able to have that opportunity."
Lake Louise makes the most sense for Vonn to compete against the men as it hosts both men's and women's events and is one of Vonn's favorite courses. She's won 18 of her 41 starts there. Should the FIS turn down Vonn's request, she said during summer that she has said she would consider some sort of skiing exhibition against men, similar to Billie Jean King's Battle of the Sexes. But her first goal all along has been to compete in a World Cup event.
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