Neil Gendzwill Posted September 18, 2015 Report Share Posted September 18, 2015 (edited) This article talks about Reiter's pending lawsuit where he argues that there wasn't sufficient process in bringing in the new sports that replaced PSL. Edited September 19, 2015 by Neil Gendzwill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b0ardski Posted September 18, 2015 Report Share Posted September 18, 2015 I like this and I don't even race sic'em Justin Justin Reiter (Getty Images file) Steamboat Springs Olympic snowboarder Justin Reiter is suing the International Olympic Committee over its decision to drop snowboard racing from the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea and the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing. Reiter, who spent a year living in his Toyota Tundra, training without any coach as he battled to become the sole USA competitor in snowboarding's parallel slalom debut at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, said he is the first athlete to ever sue the IOC seeking to reinstate an event. He filed his suit in Switzerland's Lausanne District Court and the case's first hearing is set for Friday. The IOC in June announced four new Olympic events — mass start speedskating, mixed doubles curling, team skiing and snowboard big air — as an effort to grow the Olympics' younger audience. <a href='https://adclick.g.doubleclick.net/aclk?sa=L&ai=Bup3XvH78Vfz1BJSB-gO_va-QDYb37fUGAAAAEAEgzvCHHzgAWJaVr63OAWDJtvCGyKPoGbIBEnd3dy5kZW52ZXJwb3N0LmNvbboBCWdmcF9pbWFnZcgBCdoBXmh0dHA6Ly93d3cuZGVudmVycG9zdC5jb20vb3V0ZG9vcnMvY2lfMjg4MTkzNzMvb2x5bXBpYW4tc3Vlcy1pb2MtcmVpbnN0YXRlLXNub3dib2FyZGluZy1yYWNpbmeYAqAQwAIC4AIA6gJELzgwMTMvZGVudmVycG9zdC5jb20vTGlmZXN0eWxlL1JlY3JlYXRpb24tbGVpc3VyZS9PdXRkb29yLXJlY3JlYXRpb274AoHSHpADrAKYA-ADqAMB4AQBkAYBoAYW2AcA&num=0&cid=5GgLxuMEhloSb8Nfr_tBJyN-&sig=AOD64_1l-5AJbO95zBAI_2kZ-W-vd_mcGw&client=ca-pub-3462608952431826&adurl=http://tracking.placelocal.com/click?campaign_id=449682&dimension_name=medium_rectangle&random=220468416&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cmc.org' target='_blank' style='display:inline-block'> <img src='http://ak-cdn.placelocal.com/backup_image.php?campaign_id=449682&width=300&height=250' border='0' /> </a> <img src='http://tracking.placelocal.com/pixel?campaign_id=449682&dimension_name=medium_rectangle&random=220468416' border='0' style='display:none' /> The debut of freeskiing and snowboarding slopestyle and freeskiing halfpipe contests in Sochi marked some of the highest energy of the 2014 Winter Games and the IOC was hoping to grow that interest with the high-flying big air competition. The format is expected to follow the path set by Aspen's Winter X Games, which elevated the big air discipline with triple-and-quad spinning athletes hurling themselves off the last jump of the slopestyle course. But the Olympic committee dropped the crowd-thrilling parallel slalom from the 2018 and 2022 schedule to make room for the new snowboarding event. The event pits hard-booted snowboarders racing side-by-side in a pair of timed gate-bashing descents. In Sochi, where U.S.-born Russian citizen Vic Wild won gold, the races drew packed, rowdy crowds. Reiter, whose career on a snowboard spans a quarter century, rallied the world's snowboarders after the IOC's June 7 decision. In two weeks, an online petition asking the IOC to reinstall parallel slalom snowboarding harvested more than 15,000 signatures. Reiter led a loose union of snowboard racers from Italy, Russia, Slovenia and Austria and drafted a letter urging the IOC to reconsider its decision. He's not sure the letter even made it to the IOC. He heard from a representative of skiing's and snowboarding's governing body, the International Federation of Skiing, or FIS, who told him to back off. "He basically said that skiing and snowboarding have had more disciplines added to the Olympic than another sports out there so ... we should be thankful," Reiter said. The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association, which celebrated the inclusion of big air in the 2018 Olympics is staying neutral in Reiter's fight. "The IOC has established a process for determination of its Olympic events that has been progressive and evolved the Olympic program through time. We respect that process. At the same time, we also respect the rights of athletes like Justin Reiter to express their concerns to the IOC and other sports bodies," said Luke Bodensteiner, the USSA's vice president of athletics, in an e-mailed statement. Reiter's lawsuit targets the scheduling of the IOC's decision, arguing the committee violated its own rules when it announced the new sports without a proper timeline allowing for comment or objection. "I believe we have a valid case," he said. He heads to Switzerland this week to argue his case. He has launched an online campaign — similar to the one he used to support his Olympic training in 2012 and 2013 — to raise funds to help offset his legal costs. This isn't all about Reiter protecting his livelihood as an alpine carver. "It's much larger than that. This is about the singular fact that the IOC has unprecedented and unregulated power over the Olympics as the judge, jury and executioner of all their own decisions and the athletes have no voice," he said. "The reason why I'm electing to do this and fighting to win is to set a precedent for athletes to follow and we can begin to get more things right. I want to reverse this decision and set a precedent that can benefit all athletes, so athletes have the opportunity to dream. I can't sit idly by and let this happen. Over and over again the IOC oversteps its bounds because athletes are disposable to them. That's not right." Jason Blevins: 303-954-1374, jblevins@denverpost.com or twitter.com/jasonblevins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowrider Posted September 19, 2015 Report Share Posted September 19, 2015 Excellence and dedication to your discipline. Very commendable traits. Hope these efforts don't fall on deaf ears. Having gone though many early morning adventures in persuit of excellence (maybe a podium finish ?) not for me but my son. I can relate to the frustration that many must have felt to have their dreams ripped from their hearts by this arbitrary decision of the IOC .Congratulations Justin on your efforts no matter what the outcome. "Jus Suis Snowboarder" 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D.T. Posted September 19, 2015 Report Share Posted September 19, 2015 The Swiss Court gave their approval for Justin to proceed with the lawsuit! The first hurdle is out of the way, link here. Justin set up a Rally Me page to raise money to help fight this battle. Please consider donating! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJB Posted September 19, 2015 Report Share Posted September 19, 2015 Clarification: Parallel Giant Slalom (PGS) is still in Olympics. It's the second alpine snowboard discipline called Parallel Slalom (PSL) that got bumped. Justin is suing to reinstate PSL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Gendzwill Posted September 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 19, 2015 Fixed, thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowmatic Posted September 28, 2015 Report Share Posted September 28, 2015 (edited) What's up! An online petition asking the IOC to not cancel big-air snowboarding will resume to 15'000'000 signatures! "Reiter will proceed in the Swiss Civil Court in Lausanne" So Justin Reiter has poor chance. IOC handles like a club. His sue has no affects to what IOC do inside the club, they are free to take any decisions. Even in case which kind of sport they support for the Olympics. Meanwhile many international sport associations are located in Switzerland, they know why. ! FIS (Oberhofen), IOC (Lausanne), FIFA (Zurich), UEFA (Nyon), IHF (Basle), IIHF (Zurich), FIH (Lausanne), FIBA (Mies), UCI (Aigle), FINA (Lausanne), LEN (Nyon), AIBA (Lausanne) ! Edited September 28, 2015 by snowmatic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plankton Posted October 8, 2015 Report Share Posted October 8, 2015 They should keep the PSL and add a pure downhill race for good measure. It's easy for people to relate to and understand, and makes for dramatic viewing. To related it to the alpine skiing events, I think there are a lot of non-skiers that can appreciate the downhill more than SG, GS, and SL. There would be big air off of some of the headwalls, too. Think snow! MT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Posted October 8, 2015 Report Share Posted October 8, 2015 What's team skiing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowmatic Posted October 17, 2015 Report Share Posted October 17, 2015 plankton: add a pure downhill raceDownhill alpine snowboarding and Super-G alpine snowboarding ???What are you dreaming about. At Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games they cancel even ski downhill race and ski super-G race !!! Thats a lost of the most spectacular wintersports events we know on the Alps! See here: http://en.europeonline-magazine.eu/fis-fears-loss-of-traditional-events-at-olympics_417513.html or here (Norwegian): http://www.msn.com/nb-no/sport/vintersport/fis-presidenten-frykter-tradisjonelle-skiidretter-kan-forsvinne-fra-ol-programmet/ar-AAfovqj So what starts as genuine wintersports at Chamonix 1924, isn't be continued 100 Years later. I mean what for Justin Reiter is fighting is for nothing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slopestar Posted October 17, 2015 Report Share Posted October 17, 2015 snowmatic=ignore. Hard to do with such a bad attitude all the time 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st_lupo Posted October 18, 2015 Report Share Posted October 18, 2015 (edited) Downhill alpine snowboarding and Super-G alpine snowboarding ??? What are you dreaming about. At Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games they cancel even ski downhill race and ski super-G race !!! Thats a lost of the most spectacular wintersports events we know on the Alps! See here: http://en.europeonline-magazine.eu/fis-fears-loss-of-traditional-events-at-olympics_417513.html or here (Norwegian): http://www.msn.com/nb-no/sport/vintersport/fis-presidenten-frykter-tradisjonelle-skiidretter-kan-forsvinne-fra-ol-programmet/ar-AAfovqj So what starts as genuine wintersports at Chamonix 1924, isn't be continued 100 Years later. I mean what for Justin Reiter is fighting is for nothing! Whoah, let's not get carried away. The Norwegian link says that nothing will happen to the skiing events until after the Beijing games. And even then it is pure speculation. Edited October 18, 2015 by st_lupo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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