Canada's women ski jumpers haven't given up their fight to compete in the 2010 Olympic Games.

Their supporters put up billboards Friday throughout Greater Vancouver to showcase what they say is the glaring contradiction at the heart of the International Olympic Committee's decision to keep women's ski jumping out of the 2010 games.

The billboards quote the Olympic Charter's belief in gender equality, and they highlight the fact that women ski jumpers are not allowed at the Vancouver-Whistler games. Men's ski jumping will be part of the Games.

"Just imagine -- implementing the principle of equality of men and women. Let women ski jump in 2010," reads one of the signs.

To make sure Olympic officials don't miss the point, one of the billboards was put up right across the street from the Vancouver Organizing Committee's (VANOC) headquarters. The signs went up at the same time the federal minister in charge of the Olympics was giving more taxpayer dollars to the games.

"The government of Canada is investing $20 million for the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games," Federal International Trade Minister David Emerson announced.

In case VANOC officials miss their point, supporters of female ski jumpers hope to hammer home their point to the person who can actually help women ski jumpers compete at the 2010 Games. When IOC President Jacques Rogge arrives in Vancouver next week, he'll likely notice a strategically placed advertisement on the road out of the airport.

The women have even more support in the virtual community. There's an online petition on the Internet. It's already collected 6,400 names. Prominent Olympians such as ski jumper Horst Bulau, speed skater Bonnie Blair, and skier Phil Mahre have signed on to support the women.

"We want to just remind the folks at VANOC there's a lot of support for this and we're not going away," says women's ski jumping supporter David Black.

"Anytime you talk to somebody on the street about women's ski jumping ... everyone wants it in there."

VANOC officials say the decision to include women's ski jumping at the Games is up to the IOC.

"If the IOC chose to put it on the program we would obviously co-operate and do it. That's been our position all along," said VANOC's Chief Executive Officer John Furlong.

But he added, "I would be very surprised if there were a change."

The lack of female competitors in Olympic ski jumping is an accident of history. Any new Olympic event added since 1991 must include a competition for men and women. But ski jumping has been an Olympic sport since the 1924 Olympics, excluding the sport from the gender-equality requirement.

The IOC has argued its decision to exclude the women's event was based on merit. It says there have not been enough competitive athletes to justify the inclusion of women's ski jumping at the 2010 games. IOC officials have also said the sport has not held the required number of world championships.

But advocates of women's ski jumping say the sport has broader appeal than others in the Vancouver-Whistler Games. They say there are 135 female ski jumpers in 16 countries.

With a report by CTV British Columbia's Dag Sharman