The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association is proposing the addition of two snowboarding events for the Olympic program — big air snowboarding and team snowboardcross — both of which the USSA would like to see on the schedule at the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Games in South Korea. Big air has been contested at the FIS World Championships since 2003. SBX was added to the Olympic program in 2006, but without a team event. The USSA made a formal proposal to the International Ski Federation Tuesday during the FIS Congress in Barcelona, Spain. If the USSA can get approval from the FIS, the next step would be to make the pitch to the International Olympic Committee. “It’s vital that we keep our sports fresh and relevant to youth,” said Tiger Shaw, president and CEO for the USSA. “We clearly saw the global benefits with the additional new events in Sochi. This is yet another step to keep the Olympics in sync with what excites kids in the sport today and to build the brand of FIS.”
The addition of these events would follow a successful Winter Games for Team USA in Sochi, Russia, in which American athletes did exceptionally well in the newer sports. Back in February, Sage Kotsenburg became the first Olympic champion in men’s slopestyle snowboarding, and Jamie Anderson won the inaugural gold medal on the women’s side. Team USA also dominated the podium in men’s and women’s halfpipe skiing, which also were disciplines added to the Olympic program in Sochi. David Wise won the men’s halfpipe skiing gold medal while Maddie Bowman claimed the gold medal in the women’s event.
This article was republished with permission from Karl-Heinz Huba, the editor and publisher of the Sport Intern.