The former mayor of Salt Lake City is travelling to Whistler on Friday to make her case that organizers of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games are discriminating against women by excluding them from ski jumping events.

Deedee Corradini, the president of Women's Ski Jumping USA, told CBC News on Friday that she believes it's sexist to exclude women from competing in the event, and the decision will leave a smear on Vancouver, which will host the 2010 Winter Games.

Corradini served as mayor of Salt Lake City from 1992 to 2000 and oversaw the city's bid for the 2002 Winter Games. She plans to hold a press conference in Whistler, where the Games' ski competitions will be held, on Saturday to make her case.

"It's one of the most exciting things that a city and a provincial government can host, and the one thing that the Vancouver 2010 will be missing is gender equity," said Corradini.

Woman deserve to compete just as much as men, she said, and it's not too late to change the rules to include women in the event.

"These women ski jumpers have earned the right to compete in the Olympic Games," said Corradini.

The Vancouver Organizing Committee is not responsible for deciding which events are included in the Olympics, and no one from VANOC was available for comment Friday morning.

But the International Olympic Committee, which does decide which events are included in the Games, released a statement on the issue in 2007.

It said the sport is still in the early stages of development for women, and it lacks the international spread of participation and technical standard required to be included in the Winter Games.

The IOC noted that it would be closely following the development of women's ski jumping with a view to its inclusion in future Olympic Games