Lillehammer, Norway – Women will make history this Saturday by competing in the first-ever International Ski Federation (FIS) World Cup competition held for women’s ski jumping.

Organizers are expecting nearly 50 jumpers from 15 nations to compete Saturday. Lillehammer is the start to the 14-event season, hosted at nine venues in seven countries. Members of the Visa Women’s Ski Jumping Team, Jessica Jerome, Sarah Hendrickson, Alissa Johnson and Abby Hughes, all of Park City, Utah, will represent the U.S. in Lillehammer. Lindsey Van, 2009 World Champion, is recovering from ankle surgery in October and will not compete this weekend.  The tour ends in March in Oslo, site of last season’s World Championships.

Women ski jumpers have competed on the lower-tiered Continental Cup for seven years. In 2010, the FIS approved a World Cup circuit for women to debut in the 2011-12 season. This past April, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) finally added a women’s ski jumping event to the Olympic Winter Games beginning in Sochi, Russia in 2014. Also, the inaugural Youth Olympic Winter Games will be held in Innsbruck, Austria, in January. It will be the first IOC-sanctioned event to include women’s ski jumping on the program.

“This is a very special time for women’s ski jumping,” said Deedee Corradini, Women’s Ski Jumping USA (WSJ-USA) president. “A World Cup circuit is extremely significant for these talented women and it means better venues, more broadcast time for events, and higher quality all around.”

Paolo Bernardi, WSJ-USA international head coach, is expecting a tight competition this weekend as teams from around the world are aiming for victories on the inaugural World Cup circuit. “I’m looking forward to the new challenge this year and helping the team show their potential.”

After Lillehammer, the Visa Team heads to Notodden, Norway, Dec. 9-10 for a Continental Cup competition.