One of the Winter Olympics’ Oldest Sports Is Fading — Letting Women Compete May Save It
One of the Winter Olympics’ Oldest Sports Is Fading — Letting Women Compete May Save It 
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For more than a century, tradition kept women on the sidelines. Now, that same tradition may be what’s putting the sport at risk. 
One of the Winter Olympics’ oldest and most historic disciplines is facing a steady and worrying decline. Participation numbers are shrinking, younger athletes are choosing faster-growing sports, and global audiences are losing interest in an event once considered a cornerstone of the Games. 
Sports officials and analysts now believe the future of the discipline may depend on a long-overdue change: finally allowing women to compete at the highest Olympic level. 👩🏅
Supporters argue that opening the field would immediately double the talent pool, attract new fans, and bring fresh storylines to a sport that has struggled to stay relevant in the modern era. 
Supporters argue that opening the field would immediately double the talent pool, attract new fans, and bring fresh storylines to a sport that has struggled to stay relevant in the modern era. For decades, critics have questioned why safety concerns and tradition were used to justify excluding women, while other high-risk winter sports successfully built strong women’s competitions. 
As the Olympic movement pushes for greater gender equality, this historic shift could mark a turning point — not only for fairness, but for survival.
Because sometimes, saving a sport means finally letting everyone play. 
