(ATR) The International Olympic Committee is adding 15 events to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic program while cutting the total athlete quota for the Games.
The changes made in Lausanne by the IOC Executive Board on June 9 focus on reducing gender inequity at the Olympics, increasing the number of total women participants to 48.8 percent. In comparison, Rio 2016 featured 45.6 percent of women participants.
The majority of event changes revolved around shifting the amount of men’s and women’s events in sports such as rowing, water polo, boxing, canoeing, cycling and judo.
IOC sports director Kit McConnell tells Around the Rings exclusively that the mixed-gender events approved by the IOC are the "embodiment of the ultimate gender equality on the field of play".
"I think its something that was clearly identified in Olympic Agenda 2020… the mixed events," McConnell tells ATR.
"One of the real attractions about the mixed events is that it really promotes gender equality because you have the men and women competing as equals in the same event. They’re competing on the same field of play for the same result as a combination of their efforts."
McConnell says the additions double the number of mixed events that were held at Rio 2016 from nine to 18.
"We’ve really seen the impact of new women's events and increased quotas in women's sport really having an impact of women's participation throughout the world, so that’s why it is so important to us," McConnell concluded.
Tokyo 2020 president Yoshiro Mori agrees that the decisions epitomize Olympic Agenda 2020 as well as the desire to reach a younger audience.
"With the new events confirmed today, and with the five new sports and 18 new events that were added last year, I believe that the Olympic Games have become much closer to President Bach's vision, which is for a Games more appealing to young people," Mori said in a statement.
In total, 15 International Federations received changes to their event program in either the number of disciplines contested or number of athletes.
Notable winners from the changes are the sports that added mixed gender events such as aquatics, archery, athletics, table tennis and triathlon. Sports such as canoeing, rowing, judo, sailing, shooting and weightlifting are all reaching gender equality for the first time, according to McConnell.
‘It’s a really important step forward for gender equality," McConnell said.
Cycling and aquatics added the most events with four and three, respectively. With the changes, Tokyo 2020 will feature 339 events compared to the 306 at Rio 2016. McConnell says the new events will not necessitate more venues.
The widely anticipated addition of 3x3 basketball was also approved by the IOC and will feature eight men's and women's teams in the tournament. McConnell used the term "specialists" when referring to the 3x3 tournament, intimating that NBA players may not be desired for the new discipline.
The athletics program took the largest hit with a cut of 105 athletes. However, the sport is receiving its first mixed gender event with the 4x400 relay. Weightlifting and wrestling lost the second and third most athletes as the IOC dropped their quotas by 64 and 56, respectively.
The changes from the IOC reduce the total number of athletes that participated in Rio 2016 by 285 despite the addition of 15 disciplines.
"The fascinating new events that we approved today, together with the five new sports that were added to the Tokyo 2020 program last year, represent a step-change in the Olympic program," IOC president Thomas Bach said in a statement.
"I am delighted that the Olympic Games in Tokyo will be more youthful, more urban and will include more women."
McConnell said the decision made by the IOC Executive Board did not factor in the five sports that have already been added to the Tokyo 2020 program, including baseball/softball, karate, skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing.
The decision made by the IOC Executive Board is final and does not need further approval at the IOC Session in Lima, Peru this September.
Written by Kevin Nutley
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