Such opposition appears to be prominent regarding possible additional events at Tokyo 2020 among the general public, judging by the reaction to our revelations that at least 25 new disciplines, spanning 15 sports, were being proposed for the Games in three years' time. The ISSF did refute all suggestions made by Rossi but Italian media reported his letter had over 50 signatures - a sure sign that the opposition is more deep-rooted than they might have imagined. The IOC may see mixed gender team events as the way forward but it is clear not all IFs share their point of view.
The alterations have prompted divisions within the governing body to the point where its own vice-president circulated a letter expressing deep concern, while claiming secretary general Franz Schreiber and fellow vice-president Gary Anderson had held secret talks with the IOC about the possible introduction of laser guns into the sport. This will see three events for just male shooters - the double trap, 50 metre rifle prone and 50m pistol - replaced with mixed team competitions. Switches to gender-equal events in shooting have caused such uproar that the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) felt the need to publicly criticise their own vice-president, Italy's Luciano Rossi, for spreading alleged "lies" about the changes to their programme. Surely no-one within Bach's administration genuinely believes youngsters would be striving to watch mixed duet synchronised swimming? Is there really a genuine desire to see a race walking relay? They are also not conforming to the IOC's desperate attempt to appeal to youth. There are mixed gender team competitions that make sense and are likely to be welcome additions to the programme - the triathlon relay and the Alpine skiing mixed team race to name two - but others, such as the aforementioned events in swimming and athletics, are contrived at best.Ī race walking relay is among the proposals made by the IAAF for Tokyo 2020 ©Getty Images It is about time gender equality became ingrained in the fabric and fibers of the Olympics, certainly in terms of the numbers of participating athletes. The premise of men and women competing side by side on the greatest sporting stage in the world is both admirable and understandable.
That, I am afraid, is where the appeal ends. The event would prove to be historic as it would see male synchronised swimmers participate at the Olympics for the first time. Support for the plan was clearly in short supply.Īmong the other questionable applications was one by the International Swimming Federation (FINA) - who are surely pushing their luck by asking the IOC for an additional 13 events at the Games in the Japanese capital - who have pushed for a mixed duet synchronised competition. "The whole thing makes no sense to me, from the reasons and explanations to the proposals for changes," one comment read.
In response to our story on the race walking proposal earlier this week, one member of the Twittersphere called it "bizarre", while another labelled it a "daft idea". Among their proposals is the introduction of a mixed gender 4x5,000 metres track relay. Some of the IFs and their working groups, most notably the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Race Walking Committee, have taken this perhaps too literally. Part of this included "encouraging the inclusion of mixed-gender team events". Olympic Agenda 2020, considered to be a document plastered with rhetoric and lacking substance, aimed to "foster gender equality" at the Games. One of International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach's favourite mantras is the "change or be changed" line, which he uses at every possible opportunity.Ī brief scan of the new and changed events and disciplines proposed by the various International Federations (IFs) for Tokyo 2020 suggest their attitude is more along the lines of change for the sake of it.
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