The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) has welcomed confirmation of the new sports for the Olympic program for the Paris 2024 Games.
With the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board signing off on skateboarding, sport climbing, surfing and breaking as the additional sports for Paris, the emphasis on gender equality and youth adds an exciting new dimension to the Olympic program.
AOC Chief Executive Officer Matt Carroll says the Paris Games will also see further reductions in both athlete numbers and events.
"The Olympic Games are adapting to a post-corona world as well as a continuation of the IOC’s Agenda 2020. These Paris Games will see absolute gender equality for the first time and a record number of mixed events.
"Add to that, the continuing evolution into more youth oriented and urban sports, I think we will see unprecedented interest in these Paris Games. Sport climbing, skateboarding and surfing will all make their debut in Tokyo next year. Tokyo will also see new disciplines in BMX freestyle and 3 x 3 basketball.
"Breaking will be a new event for Paris. Consistent with that theme we are seeing new disciplines such as extreme canoe slalom. The Olympic Games are changing.
"It’s up to the Games’ Hosts to nominate new sports it would like to showcase. That will always lead to disappointment for the sports which aren’t accommodated. But sports can and do come back into the Olympic program.
"With Brisbane putting its credentials forward for the Summer Olympic Games in 2032, Olympic sports face an exciting future. Sport is in Australia’s DNA and has such an important role to play in the health and wellbeing of future generations."
Mr Carroll says the Australian Team headed to Tokyo next year will be gender equal.
"The AOC is very proud of the fact that we will be taking a Team that is hopefully the largest to leave our shores and certainly one where the numbers of men and women will be equal, as they were in Rio 2016.
"The trend towards more mixed-gender events is also a welcome evolution. That will grow from 18 sports in Tokyo to 22 by the time we get to Paris 2024.
"Importantly, the IOC is also continuing to look at how Games can be delivered in a simpler and more affordable fashion," Mr Carroll concluded.
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