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BREAKDANCING, surfing, skateboarding and sport climbing all earned a spot at the 2024 Paris Olympics when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) ratified their inclusion on Monday, said IOC President Thomas Bach.
The Paris 2024 organizing committee had proposed the inclusion of the four sports last year and was awaiting a final review by the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee.
Surfing, climbing and skateboarding are already part of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, having been proposed along with karate by the Japanese hosts.
The organizers of the Paris Games have said they want to offer a program in keeping with the times and attract a new and younger audience.
Under the new IOC rules first introduced for the Tokyo Games, Olympic Games host cities can choose sports and propose them for inclusion in those Games if they are popular in that country and add to the appeal of the Games.
The IOC also cut overall events for Paris by 10 to 329 compared to the Tokyo Games next year, while increasing mixed-gender events from 18 in Tokyo to 22 in four years.
“With this program, we are adapting the Paris 2024 Olympics to the post-crown world,” Bach said. “We are further reducing the cost and complexity of hosting the Games.”
“There is also a strong focus on youth,” he added.
The IOC also limited the total quota of athletes to exactly 10,500. The last summer Olympics had risen to more than 11,000. There will also be exactly 50% men and 50% female athletes in Paris, compared to 48.8% women in Tokyo.
“While we will already achieve gender equality at the next Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, we will see for the first time in Olympic history the participation of exactly the same number of female athletes as male athletes,” said Bach.
“It’s a good reference to the 1900 Paris Olympics, when it was the first time women attended the Games,” Jean-Philippe Gatien, Paris 2024 sports director, told reporters at the Paris 2024 headquarters on Monday. .
“It is perfectly suited to what we want to do with those Games. They will be Games that are young, urban and creative ”.
The IOC is desperate to update the Games sports schedule to remain relevant to younger sponsors, broadcasters and fans. – Reuters
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