Rogge made the comments in a letter to 14 female ski jumpers involved in a lawsuit with Vancouver's Olympic organisers.

After the IOC voted to include women's boxing at the 2012 Games, the women wrote to Rogge pressing their case to be included at the Games.

But in his response, Rogge reiterated the IOC's position on ski jumping, saying the sport was not technically ready for Olympic prime time.

In the letter, he said the IOC believes there is a strong case for the jumpers to be included in upcoming Winter Games, and it will be included at the first Winter Youth Olympic Games in 2012.

Rogge wrote: "The inclusion of women's boxing highlights the fact that the IOC is working hard to reach gender parity in winter and summer Games.

"It also underlines that the reason why we took the decision not to include women's ski jumping was made strictly on a technical basis and absolutely not on gender grounds and was part of a process employed across all sports in the programme.

"We remain open to considering women's ski jumping for inclusion in future Olympic Winter Games and I am sure that your event will be able to make a very strong case the next time the [world ski federation] FIS proposes it."

Rogge also claimed that the recent a British Columbia Supreme Court ruling that said that it did not have the power to force officials to add women's ski-jumping to the Vancouver Games highlighted the strides they have made in gender equality, even though it said the IOC is discriminating against female ski jumpers by keeping them out of the Games.

Rogge wrote: "You will note that she [the judge] also highlighted that the 'IOC in recent years has supported the inclusion of women in the Olympics and in amateur sports and implemented a wide range of initiatives to increase women's involvement in leadership and administration within the Olympic movement and the wider sporting community.'

"You have my assurance that this progress will continue."