At just 22 years old, Annika Sieff from Cavalese has made the difficult decision to leave the Nordic combined discipline to pursue her aspirations in ski jumping. This drastic change comes after the announcement that women's Nordic combined has been excluded from the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, a move that has been met with disappointment and frustration by female athletes who feel marginalized and underserved. Sieff openly expresses her feelings on the decision, emphasizing that the sport has demonstrated its potential for greater inclusion, despite the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) claims of a lack of global participation.

Sieff points out that the reason for the exclusion, as stated by the IOC, hinges on the dominance of certain countries with better funding and facilities, namely Germany, Norway, and Austria. She argues that if women are not given the opportunity to compete on the Olympic stage, how can the sport hope to develop and flourish? This sentiment reflects a broader discontent within women's sports, where equality and representation remain pressing issues. Her switch to ski jumping is not only a personal choice but also a statement against the current status quo that disadvantages female athletes.

With this pivot to ski jumping, Sieff hopes to grasp the rare opportunity presented by the upcoming Olympic games, especially since hosting an Olympic event at home is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for many athletes. The move exemplifies the challenges faced by female athletes in pursuing their dreams under the constraints of institutional biases, revealing the ongoing struggle for equity in Olympic sports and highlighting the need for systemic change in how women’s sports are supported and recognized at all levels.