Germany’s Katharina Hennig Dotzler (L) and Canada’s Jasmine Drolet compete during the Nordic Skiing/Cross-Country Women’s 4 x 7,5km Relay event at Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games. Credit: Daniel Karmann/dpa
German cross country skier Katharina Hennig Dotzler has said that having the women cross country ski 50 kilometres like the men has nothing to do with gender equality.
German cross country skier Katharina Hennig Dotzler has said that having the women cross country ski 50 kilometres like the men has nothing to do with gender equality.
The women will contest their maiden Olympic 50km on Sunday after the ruling body FIS decided to have women and men ski the same distances across the board.
The longest women’s race in the past was 30km and Hennig Dotzler insisted it should have stayed that way.
“I am definitely against women running 50 kilometres. All these distance adjustments: for me, that has nothing to do with equality,” the 2022 Olympic team sprint champion said.
“Because in the end we’ll just end up skiing for 20 or 30 minutes longer, to put it bluntly. That’s egalitarianism, not equality.
“I don’t know if it’s interesting for viewers to watch a group of two people and maybe a single woman running alone at the front for an hour. I don’t see the advantage in that.”
She explained: “We women have different bodies. Our biology is different. I don’t feel discriminated against. That’s just the way it is. We have different strengths. That’s why I don’t think women should have to run 50 kilometres.”
