Nordic combined and snowboard parallel giant slalom are fighting to keep their places in the Winter Olympic lineup as the International Olympic Committee gathers this month to select events for the 2030 edition.

These disciplines risk exclusion from the French Alps-hosted Games due to worries about the number of athletes and audience interest, with the IOC prioritizing events that attract younger participants and viewers.

The committee's meeting is set for Wednesday 24 and Thursday 25 June in Lausanne, Switzerland, where the final sports list will be approved.

As one of the traditional Winter Olympic events, Nordic combined, blending ski jumping with cross-country skiing, has featured since the Chamonix Games in 1924.

It stood out at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympics as the sole sport without female competitors.

Despite women's involvement in lower levels and efforts for equal gender representation at the Olympics, inclusion at the top tier has not succeeded.

"If the Olympics focus on top athletes and demanding tests, Nordic combined ought to progress rather than face doubt," noted Ilkka Herola, a double medalist from the 2026 Winter Games.

Snowboarding entered the Winter Olympics at Nagano 1998 featuring halfpipe and giant slalom.

Initially timed events, the parallel giant slalom format with head-to-head racing on matching courses debuted in Salt Lake City four years later.

Three-time Winter Olympian Alex Payer remarked: "PGS represents one of the rare formats where true equality exists - identical course, conditions, start, and opportunity. Such fairness is uncommon in athletics."

"Removing it from the Olympic schedule would eliminate one of the most genuine forms of competition available."

Sports like freeriding and ice climbing are among those seeking to take their spots in the February 1-17 2030 Games.

Freeriding lets skiers and snowboarders select their off-piste paths and execute tricks during the run, scored on descent difficulty, jumps, and execution.

Ice climbing involves ascending frozen waterfalls or glaciers, with the speed event seen as a likely addition.

Although cyclo-cross had been considered, IOC president Kirsty Coventry clarified last month that no summer sports or seasonal crossover events would feature.