IOC Meeting on June 9 will Determine Fate of New Events for Tokyo

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Photo Courtesy: R-Sport / Mia Rossiya Segodnaya

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In early April, FINA made a proposal to the International Olympic Committee to add a selection of new events for Tokyo. An IOC meeting will be held on June 9 in Lausanne to discuss the changes and additions; the results should be announced a few days later.

For swimming, the proposed events include fifties of stroke, mixed gender relays and the addition of the men’s 800/women’s 1500 meter freestyle. In the swimming world, many coaches reacted to these changes with an open mind despite some reservations.

Frank Busch, USA Swimming National Team Director through the upcoming World Championships in Budapest, said the following:

“I would support the addition of the 800 for men and 1500 for women. We have added the mixed relays for the past couple of years at the FINA World Championships and I have not seen any data that suggests one way or another as to its impact.

“I am sure that the 50’s would add a level of excitement to the swimming competition, but swimming is already the most successful sport at the Summer Olympics and not sure why you need to go from an A-plus to A-plus-1.

“The IOC has stated that the games be limited to a certain number of athletes, so unless they decide to go over that limit, something or someone is at risk to be cut in order to compensate for any additions.”

According to Inside the Games, many other sports did similarly. Mixed events are a common theme, with the hopes of promoting women in sport and gender equality. These sports include, but are not limited to, table tennis, synchronized swimming, archery, judo, modern pentathlon, taekwondo and triathlon.

Additionally, rowing and canoeing are removing some men’s sprint events to add more women’s events for the same reasons.

However, the meeting will not only discuss proposed events, but disciplines as well. This not only includes high diving, but also 3×3 basketball, BMX freestyle and a parkour “obstacle course sprint” into the gymnastics program.

All submissions were assessed last month, and the IOC has confirmed that the new disciplines and events for Tokyo are on the agenda for June 9. The meeting will also hold a discussion about awarding both the 2024 and 2028 Olympics at this time.

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