Olympic athlete reveals she received shower gel and towels after winning ski-jumping event while male counterpart won $3,200

The 'ridiculous differences' in prizes of the men and women's qualifying round has been slammed online.

At the end of December last year, a Two-Night Ski Jumping Tour event was held in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany.

Selina Freitag - a 23-year-old athlete who's competed in the Olympics - took part in the FIS World Cup Ski Jumping Women Individual HS142, finishing in first place in the qualifying round on December 30. However, the reward for her winning the heat was drastically different to what was handed to the winner of the men's division.

CNN reports a spokesperson for skiing's governing body, FIS, confirmed winners of the women's qualifiers don't receive prize money but winners of the men's do.

Jan Hoerl - the winner of the men's qualifying round - is reported as having received 3,000 Swiss Francs (around $3,290) for finishing first place.

In an interview with German TV channel BR24, Freitag confirmed she 'received a partner bag with shower gel and shampoo and four hand towels'.

She added: "It's like, 'Here, we unfortunately didn't have 500 euros left over'. I don't want to complain too much about it, but you can see the differences."

The FIS added the gift for the winner of the women's round included a voucher for wellness treatments for a weekend before reflecting on the differences between the prizes.

FIS said: "[It] was certainly well intentioned, but it is understandable that it may have generated frustration and given a bad impression if seen as formal compensation for the victory. This was not the case."

It argued the interest in women's ski jumping is less than men's, and subsequently the revenue to be made impacts the prize money available.

However, Her Sport - a media platform dedicated to women's sport and championing gender equality in the industry - has slammed the response.

Her Sport said in a thread shared to Twitter: "Imagine qualifying at a top-tier sports competition and walking away with... shampoo and towels while your male colleagues who did the exact same job...leave with €3,200 in cash prize money.

"Selina Freitag is a German Ski Jumper who recently won at the Two-Night Ski Jumping Tour in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. While the men who achieve this feat are rewarded with €3,200, Selina was instead given a hygiene kit with shampoo, lotion and four towels as her prize."

The group argued the disparity between how the winners were rewarded 'highlights the inequalities that STILL exist in sport to this day'.

"The contrast between the prizes for males and females are unacceptable, and is reminiscent of when the German football team of 1989 received a set of tea cups for winning the European Championship," it continued. "Thirty-six years later and we are still seeing ridiculous differences in prize money such as this one. Selina's achievement deserves to be celebrated with the same respect and rewards as her male counterparts."

Reflecting on the 'argument' about 'revenue generation,' Her Sport argued 'revenue doesn't grow in a vaccum'.

Breaking down 'the truth,' it continued: "It starts with investment & commitment to bridging the gap. Without equity as the foundation, it’s easy to make excuses for why things can’t change."

The post resolves: "Selina’s achievement deserves more than applause-it deserves a reward that reflects the caliber of her effort. Equity isn’t about forcing sameness; it’s about creating opportunities for women’s sports to thrive.

"We can’t expect progress if we can't take the first step."

A spokesperson for FIS told UNILAD: "The FIS World Cup rules for women’s Ski Jumping do not foresee the awarding of prize money to the winner of the qualification – unlike the men’s competition, in which prize money for the winner of that round was introduced in the 2018/2019 season and is currently of CHF 3,000.

"The gift that the organizers in Garmisch-Partenkirchen prepared for the winner of the qualification round — a selection of products and a voucher for a weekend of wellness treatments — was certainly well intentioned, but it is understandable that it may have generated frustration and given a bad impression if seen as formal compensation for the victory. This was not the case.

"Women’s Ski Jumping is still relatively young – with the first FIS World Cup season having taken place in 2011 – and has been developing continuously. While spectator interest and the associated TV and marketing revenues have been increasing steadily, they are still well behind those of the men's competitions. As a result, prize money in women’s competitions is still far lower than that in the men’s events.

"FIS has been working intensively with its key stakeholders – i.e. National Ski Associations, Local Organizing Committees (LOCs), athletes, media rights holders, and sponsors − to raise the value of women's Ski Jumping and bring it onto equal footing with the men’s tour in terms of infrastructure, broadcast interest, marketing, and, of course, prize money.

"A good example of this journey is this year’s FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, in Trondheim: at that event, FIS and the LOC share the costs for prize money, which will see the exact same amount awarded to men and women across all events.

"The next big step for women's Ski Jumping will be taken in the 2025/26 season, when women's and men's competitions will be coordinated under a single point of leadership within FIS."

FIS Race Director Sandro Pertile, who as of next season will be responsible for the overall coordination of women’s and men’s Ski Jumping, says: "With centralized race management, we will have significantly better opportunities to place women's Ski Jumping in the spotlight and increase interest in the sport. As a result, we will also be able to adjust prize money – including by tackling the issue of prize money for the winner of the qualification round. With that said, we shouldn't expect a miracle to take place overnight: the entire process will take a bit of time."