Women's Ski Jumping
By far the most controversial event left out of the 2010 Olympics, women's ski jumping will not be included on the basis that there are not enough female participants around the world for it to deserve inclusion. Ski jumping is one of only a handful of Olympic events that do not have both female and male competitions. The sport was left out despite many protests and lawsuits claiming discrimination by women ski jumpers.
Bandy
Bandy is basically a form of field hockey played on ice. It's played in many countries by teams of 11 and uses a ball instead of a puck. Bandy was an exhibition sport in the 1952 Olympic Winter Games in Oslo, Norway, and is currently recognized by the IOC but is still waiting to be accepted into the Games. In order for that to happen, a sport must demonstrate that at least 25 nations on three continents practice the sport.
Archery Biathlon
The archery biathlon or ski archery is another event that will be missing for in 2010. The archery biathlon is similar to the rifle biathlon event that has been included in the Winter Olympics since 1960 and involves a combination of cross-country skiing with target archery. Ski archers must set up a recognized governing body before petitioning the IOC for inclusion in the next Winter Olympics.
Skijoring
Skijoring combines cross-country skiing with dog sledding and is widely popular in Canada and some parts of the United States. Skijoring made its debut as an exhibition event in the Winter Olympics in 1928 but never received full-time status. The International Federation for Sleddog Sports is working with the IOC to get its sport recognized, so maybe we will see skijoring in the 2014 Olympics in Russia.
