Women ski jumpers shut out of Vancouver Games

A bid by female ski jumpers to be included in the next Winter Olympics was rejected by a judge in the Canadian province of British Columbia.

Fifteen jumpers had sued the Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC) over their exclusion from the Games, saying that it violated Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Judge Lauri Ann Fenlon agreed that the plaintiffs "will be denied this opportunity for no reason other than their sex," but said the International Olympic Committee -- which determines which sports are included in the Olympic program -- is not bound by Canada's Charter.

"There will be little solace to the plaintiffs in my finding that they have been discriminated against [but] there is no remedy available to them in this Court," she wrote in a decision released today.

More later at www.latimes.com/sports

-- Helene Elliott