Photo: Espn
Kevin Rolland is a four time X Games gold medalist.
Next stop - Olympic gold.

Chas Guldemond and his We Are Snowboarding
contingent will have to wait to see.

Today the IOC announced the addition of Men's and Women's Ski Superpipe in the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia. However, the committee postponed decisions on ski and snowboard slopestyle pending further feasibility studies with a planned final announcement coming in a matter of weeks.

In a separate release We Are Snowboarding (WAS) supported the delayed action by the IOC stating that it will provide more time for the interested parties to come to a resolution on slopestyle qualification events.

Here's the release:

The sports programme of the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games was expanded by six events on 6 April 2011 when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed the inclusion of ski halfpipe (men and women), women s ski jumping, biathlon mixed relay, figure skating team event and luge team relay.

The decision was the result of a number of positive factors, including an increase in universality, gender equity and youth appeal. The IOC believes these events will bring added value to the Games for athletes and spectators alike. To get a taste of what s to come in 2014, we ve prepared a short description of the new events:

Ski Halfpipe - Men and Women: (International Ski Federation - FIS) Ski halfpipe is a young and dynamic event that will complement the recent introductions of the popular freestyle ski cross and snowboard halfpipe events that drew high spectator numbers and television audiences at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games.

One competitor at a time performs a routine of acrobatic jumps, flips, twists and other manoeuvres on a half-pipe. The athletes are judged on their take-offs, the height they reach above the top of the pipe, and difficulty of their manoeuvres. A qualification round and final round are staged, with two runs per athlete in both. Ski halfpipe will make its first appearance in January 2012 at the first Winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck.

Women's Ski Jumping: (International Ski Federation - FIS) Women s ski jumping is an individual event performed on the normal hill that operates under the same competition format as the corresponding men s competition. There are two competition rounds: the first and final rounds. Each athlete gets two jumps and receives a score based on distance and style. The athlete with the highest combined score is the winner. Women s ski jumping will make its first appearance in January 2012 at the first Winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck.

Biathlon Mixed Relay: (International Biathlon Union - IBU) The mixed relay has proven very popular with biathlon fans, and the qualification system for the event is partly designed to encourage National Olympic Committees (NOCs) to pay equal attention to the development of athletes of both genders. The mixed relay features two female athletes and two male athletes from the same NOC competing together. Women race a 6 km leg and men race a 7.5 km leg in the following order: W-W-M-M. Each athlete shoots twice (1 prone, 1 standing). For every missed target a penalty loop of 150 m must be skied. The start is performed simultaneously in three rows, with the start order based on the results of the World Cup Nations Cup Score (combined for men and women). Biathlon Mixed Relay will make its first appearance in January 2012 at the first Winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck.

Figure Skating Team Event: (International Skating Union - ISU) The figure skating team event will feature teams made up of six skaters: one male skater, one female skater, one skating pair and one ice dance couple. Points are awarded to each skater/ couple. The team with the highest number of aggregate points is declared the winner. The figure skating team event will make its first appearance in January 2012 at the first Winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck.

Luge Team Relay: (International Luge Federation - FIL) This new race format features teams comprised of a doubles sled, a women s singles sled and a men s singles sled. All three entrants from one team slide one after another with the clock stopping only after the third sled has crossed the finish line. A touch pad at the finish line must be activated by an athlete in one sled before the gate at the start line opens for the following team member to compete. The luge team relay will make its first appearance in January 2012 at the first Winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck.