Sports like skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing that first featured at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 have been included in the initial sports program for the 2028 Games in Los Angeles, the International Olympic Committee said Thursday. (CIO).
Weightlifting, boxing and modern pentathlon, however, were not among the 28 sports and must meet certain criteria in 2023 to be included, IOC President Thomas Bach told an online press conference at the outcome of a meeting of the executive board. Boxing and weightlifting have grappled with the brunt of corruption, governance, finance and judgment scandals and have been warned by the IOC to reform or miss the Games.
An IOC session in February will approve the initial program. The three excluded sports will be reinstated during the IOC session in 2023. Skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing made their Olympic debuts in Tokyo this year, with the Games being delayed by one year due to COVID-19, and met with great success with young viewers.
“The proposed inclusion of these youth sports is based on the success of Tokyo 2020, a commitment to innovation and also recognizes the deep roots of each of these three sports in Los Angeles and California,” Bach said. The three sports were already part of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games program.
For weightlifting and boxing, their exclusion from the initial program of the 2028 Games is a blow because the international federations have struggled to respond to the reforms requested by the IOC. Bach said the AIBA boxing federation must change its judging and arbitration system, increase financial transparency and diversify its revenues.
Weightlifting, which has been rocked by revelations of doping cover-ups and decades of corruption that have led to accusations against top federation officials, faces a culture shift and major doping issues. “The IWF and its future leaders must demonstrate their transition to compliance and effective culture change,” said Bach.
“It must deal with historical doping incidents … and ensure the integrity and robustness of anti-doping.” NO HORSES
The modern pentathlon, created by Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic Games, must provide for the plans for an event replacing horse riding. “The UIPM (Modern Pentathlon Federation) must finalize its proposal for replacing horse riding and the overall competition format … they must demonstrate a significant reduction in costs … and be attractive to young people and the general public” Bach said.
The UIPM, which will include horse riding at the Paris Olympics, will not make it a fifth discipline in Los Angeles and will replace it with one that costs less and increases the accessibility of sport. “The UIPM global community stands ready to seize the new opportunity offered by the IOC to make modern pentathlon stand the test of time as a lasting highlight of the Olympic Games,” the UIPM said in a statement.
“It is the UIPM’s firm belief that everyone in its community wants the same thing – a stronger pentathlon.” The decision to give up riding came after German modern pentathlon trainer Kim Raisner struck a horse at the Tokyo Games when he refused to jump a fence, which drew widespread criticism in the against this sport.
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