WINTER OLYMPICS FREESTYLE SKIING

OLYMPIC SPORT SINCE 1992

FREESTYLE SKIING is a product of America in the 1960s, when social change and freedom of expression led to new and exciting skiing techniques. Originally a mix of alpine skiing and acrobatics, freestyle skiing developed over the decades into the present-day Olympic sport.

The International Ski Federation (FIS) recognized freestyle as a sport in 1979 and brought in new regulations regarding certification of athletes and jump techniques in an effort to curb the dangerous elements of the competitions. The first World Cup series was staged in 1980 and the first World Championships took place in 1986 in Tignes, France, featuring moguls, aerials and ballet.

Shortly after its World Championships debut, the IOC selected freestyle skiing as a demonstration event at the 1988 Calgary Olympics. With the World Cup circuit firmly in place under the FIS, the popularity of the sport was growing rapidly. Freestyle skiing proved a success in Calgary, and the IOC decided to add freestyle to the Olympic program in Albertville. Much to the dismay of national freestyle federations, however, the IOC only accepted moguls into the program, leaving out aerials and ballet.

In Albertville, the freestyle competitions were extremely successful. The FIS and Lillehammer Olympic Organizing Committee urged the IOC to add aerials competition to the Lillehammer program. The IOC approved the addition of aerials prior to the 1994 Olympics, and there have been four freestyle medal events at the last two Olympic Winter Games. The freestyle discipline of ballet has not been accepted in the Olympic program.

Moguls
The moguls competition consists of a run down a heavily moguled course with two jumps. The Olympic format is a one-run elimination round followed by a one-run final of 16 women and 16 men. In the finals, competitors ski in the reverse order of their finish in the elimination round. The skier with the highest score in the final round wins.

Aerials
The Olympic aerial format consists of a two-jump elimination followed by a two-jump final. Aerialists are divided into two groups depending on their World Cup ranking, with those seeded lower jumping first. The combined scores from the two jumps in the elimination round determine who moves to the finals, with 12 men and 12 women advancing to the finals. Scores from the elimination round do not carry over to the finals.

VERIFIED Feb 18, 2002

	MOGULS	AERIALS	MOGULS	AERIALS
1924-88
1992	Edgar Grospiron, FRA		Donna Weinbrecht, USA
1994	Jean-Luc Brassard, CAN	Andreas SCHÖNBÄCHLER, SUI	Stine Lise Hattestad, NOR	Lina Cheryazova, UZB
1998	Jonny Moseley, USA	Eric Bergoust, USA	Tae Satoya, JPN	Nikki Stone, USA
2002	Janne Lahtela, FIN	Ales Valenta, CZE	Kari Traa, NOR	Alisa Camplin, AUS