Chris Bumbaca

It's actually an original Olympic sport going all the way back to the first Winter Games in 1924, Chamonix, France.

It combines what we know today as cross-country skiing, that extremely grueling event, and also ski jumping.

After the 2022 Games, when men's Nordic combined didn't rate well, it's really important to note that nothing really rated well in the 2022 Winter Olympics, which were contested in a COVID-lockdowned China with an unfavorable time zone for the United States and even Europe, which is a place that takes Nordic combined very seriously.

And the IOC used that as a way to justify not having women in this year's Olympics and

There is that real fear that if people do not watch and tune in this time around, the IOC will use that as an opportunity to free up its program and perhaps introduce another sport or at least get rid of this one at the minimum.

She fell in love with it.

And for the past eight, nine years, Nordic Combined has become her passion.

She's ranked 11th in the world now, but because Women's Nordic Combined isn't in these Olympics, she has to watch while Nicholas, who's part of Team USA, gets to live his Olympic dream.

It's a really weird time for her because...

She is grieving so much, but at the same time, she has immense pride for her brother and his friends and teammates who are her friends because like a lot of these winter sports, it's a really tight-knit community.