Canada's 2026 Olympics Qualification Discussion Road to Milano Cortina 2026

[orangeman 2,020]

It's kind of annoying that certain countries can win 20 medals in x-country with 5 different skiers, but countries with depth in freestyle don't get that opportunity. I'd rather watch multiple different freestyle events rather than another x-country race, but this time it's 1 km longer. 

[Surlympics 899]

  On 3/24/2025 at 3:07 PM, orangeman said:

It's kind of annoying that certain countries can win 20 medals in x-country with 5 different skiers, but countries with depth in freestyle don't get that opportunity. I'd rather watch multiple different freestyle events rather than another x-country race, but this time it's 1 km longer. 

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exactly haha

[intoronto 5,860]

FWIW there is more freestyle skiing events than cross-country skiing on the program

[NearPup 3,200]

  On 3/24/2025 at 3:07 PM, orangeman said:

It's kind of annoying that certain countries can win 20 medals in x-country with 5 different skiers, but countries with depth in freestyle don't get that opportunity. I'd rather watch multiple different freestyle events rather than another x-country race, but this time it's 1 km longer. 

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Hey now, mogul skiers are about to get two sets of medals for *literally* the same event but with two different competition format (and slightly different judging, admitedly). So lets not complain too much about that atm :P

 

Once the ski cross team event is added to the Olympics the only freestyle athletes who won't have a chance for two sets of medals are half-pipe specialists, but even there, there is some limited overlap between half-pipe, big air and slopestyle (and hopefully a rails event at some point in the not so distant future).

Edited March 24 by NearPup

[NearPup 3,200]

And I would also say that the biggest culprit for giving a bunch of medals for the "same thing" are biathlon and short track, not cross country skiing. The six cross country events are actually fairly distinct from each other in terms of both competition format and in terms of distance.

[NearPup 3,200]

  On 3/24/2025 at 4:43 PM, intoronto said:

FWIW there is more freestyle skiing events than cross-country skiing on the program

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That's more a reflection of how bloated freestyle skiing is as far as a discipline is concerned. It should really be three distinct disciplines (freestyle skiing for moguls and aerials, park and pipe for half-pipe, big air and slopestyle and skicross).

 

I'm of the opinion that there should be a reorganization here, with freestyle skiing and snowboarding being eliminated as disciplines and alpine snowboarding, "classical freestyle", park & pipe and cross being the new disciplines (which is how the FIS really seems to think about and organize them anyway)

Edited March 24 by NearPup

[orangeman 2,020]

  On 3/24/2025 at 4:43 PM, intoronto said:

FWIW there is more freestyle skiing events than cross-country skiing on the program

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It's not so much the amount of events, it's really stretching out the same event so that the same people win multiple medals. 

[orangeman 2,020]

  On 3/24/2025 at 4:51 PM, NearPup said:

And I would also say that the biggest culprit for giving a bunch of medals for the "same thing" are biathlon and short track, not cross country skiing. The six cross country events are actually fairly distinct from each other in terms of both competition format and in terms of distance.

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In defense of short track, it's so volatile that skaters should have more than one chance at a medal. In any event (pun intended), what I'm saying is a country that is strong in x-country can send enough skiers to win lots of medals, while countries strong in freestyle have a limit. And not limited as in only three in a race, but Canada has to leave strong competitors at home who can medal in event X because there is a limit to the overall amount. It's not really that serious, anway. 

[NearPup 3,200]

Not sure if it was discussed here, but Canada is now *narrowly* in a qualifying position in the ski mounteineering mixed relay with two qualifying races left to go.

[JockCartier 194]

  On 3/24/2025 at 3:07 PM, orangeman said:

It's kind of annoying that certain countries can win 20 medals in x-country with 5 different skiers, but countries with depth in freestyle don't get that opportunity. I'd rather watch multiple different freestyle events rather than another x-country race, but this time it's 1 km longer. 

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But if you want medals, cross country skiers are the most efficient investment. Takes 25 world class hockey players to win one medal… with 25 world class nordic skiers, Norway wins 20+ medals across XC, NC, and biathlon

 

Not that we could expect to be Norway, but if we got serious and stuck with it, 5-10 every Olympics wouldn’t be out of the question