In a major leap for women ski jumpers barred from competing at the 2010 Winter Olympics, the federal government has agreed to fully support their quest to participate in the Games.

CTV News has learned the decision comes after the athletes filed a formal complaint with the Canadian Human Rights Commission.

That resulted in a compromise deal between the athletes and the federal government that could see the ski jumpers' efforts included at the 2010 Games, CTV British Columbia's Mike Killeen reported Monday.

Details of the announcement are expected by the end of the week.

But despite the significant support, the effort leaves a rather large obstacle: the International Olympic Committee.

The IOC claims the female side of the sport still needs development and falls short of basic standards for inclusion at the Games. The committee, therefore, voted against including women ski jumping in 2010.

Many athletes, politicians and other public figures cried foul, putting pressure on the Olympic body to change its stance.

"I never thought it would be this much of a struggle," 16-year-old ski jumper Katie Willis told CTV Calgary, "and it's such a surprise whenever I tell anyone that (women's) ski jumping is not in the Olympics"

Willis' mother Jan said excluding the women's event once again would leave a "black mark" on the Games, and would hold Canada back from having an "amazing Olympics."

The angry jumpers and their parents filed a gender discrimination complaint with the Human Rights Commission in September.

The crux of their complaint was that it's against federal and provincial law to spend money on facilities that discriminate. The new Whistler Olympic park where the jumps are located cost Canadian taxpayers $120 million.

The IOC isn't commenting and the Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC) refused to speculate on what will happen if the decision is reversed.

But before that decision was made, VANOC stated: "We supported the inclusion of women's ski jumping by communicating to the IOC that if it met IOC criteria and they elected to add the event, we would and could support it from a logistical and operational standpoint."

Ski jumping and a related Nordic-combined event remain the only events in which women are not allowed to participate.

This despite the International Ski Federation's approval of women's jumping for international competition by a 114 to 1 margin in 2006 -- and its request to the IOC to follow suit.

On Saturday, 2010 Olympics Minister David Emerson said it wasn't right "to not have women (be) able to participate on the same basis as men."

The Olympic charter states that the events must be determined no later than three years before the Games -- but it leaves an opening for the deadline to be annulled with approval from the sport's international federation, the Olympics organizing committee and the IOC.

But even if the IOC were to change its mind, time is ticking to include it on the 2010 roster.

The athletes, however, are more determined than ever, saying with Ottawa's help, they'll keep pushing to ensure their airspace wont be restricted in 2010.

"I've learned that at some point when things aren't fair, you have to do something about it," Willis told CTV News.

With a report from CTV British Columbia's Mike Killeen