Another sign of the impending collapse of Western Civilization

The Super-Combined is in peril.

Known as the super combi, it is composed of one downhill run, usually held in the morning, followed by an afternoon slalom run. The event was introduced to the World Cup in 2006, but it might not exist beyond next season. The notion to scrap the super combined was initially raised last season but resurfaced at meetings last month at which World Cup ski racing’s governing body discussed eliminating the event over the next few years. The competition schedule for 2012-13 was released last spring, and it features only one super-combined race.

The proposed calendar for next season will be confirmed this spring.

Some skiers and coaches say the event offers an unfair advantage to slalom skiers, is boring to watch and diminishes the battle for the World Cup overall title, which measures a skier’s performance over the season and is the sport’s top prize.

Super-combined supporters, like Ivica Kostelic, a Croatian skier who leads the men’s World Cup super-combined and overall standings, argue otherwise. They also worry that if the World Cup eliminated the event, the Olympics might follow, taking away a medal event.

“Nowadays, the Olympics are getting bigger and bigger and we have more and more sports,” Kostelic said. “Soon there will be medals for snowman making and snowball fights. We must fight that we don’t lose this medal at the Olympics, and that’s why we need to have combined on the World Cup.”