A hearing date in the discrimination case against the Vancouver Organizing Committee has been set in B.C. Supreme Court for April 20.
Deedee Corradini, president of Women’s Ski Jumping-USA and a spokesperson for the group, said she believes there’s enough time for the case to be heard and a judgment rendered before the Games.
“Things have changed with the Olympic Games several times last minute,” she said. “VANOC has already said that if this decision is made in favour of the women that they will accommodate (them).”
The 10 women, representing current and former top-ranked jumpers from six countries including Canada, filed the suit in May alleging that VANOC’s refusal to allow them to compete in a sport for which there is a men’s component violates their rights to gender equality.
“If this makes it (into the Games) it’ll make such news that people will want to come,” Corradini said. “(Even) if we have to pass out hand-made tickets on street corners.”
Ross Clark, the lawyer representing the jumpers, said the lawsuit names VANOC and not the International Olympic Committee because VANOC is hosting the Games in Canada, and so is responsible to uphold Canada’s laws.
“They are bound by the charter (of rights and freedoms) and are prohibited from discriminating on the basis of gender,” he said.
