For the first time in Olympic history, men are allowed to be part of artistic swimming teams for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
According to NBC Olympics, the new rules now state that “up to two men per country may compete in the team event, which includes teams of eight athletes.”
The Associated Press first reported on the rule change in synchronized swimming back in July 2023 at the World Aquatics Championships.
French artistic swimming team in 2022.
ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty
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“I think it’s a huge opportunity for the sport to grow and attract more men,” US synchronized swimmer Bill May told the AP at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships. “By excluding men, you’re limiting the sport. By including men, you will see a shift in popularity and numbers.”
The sport was first introduced as synchronized swimming at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and only allowed women to be part of the team. Men are already allowed to compete in lower-level artistic swimming events, but were previously barred from earning a spot on the Olympic team.
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Ukrainian women’s artistic swimming team in 2022.
ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty
“There’s always been a misconception that it’s only a women’s sport, that it’s for the weak, or that it’s not a tough sport,” May continued. “Anyone who has something negative to say about sports – boy, woman, anyone. Just try it and you will know that it is the hardest sport in the world.”
However, even with the new rule change, no men have been selected for any of the artistic swimming teams and they will not be competing at the Paris Games.
“World Aquatics is very disappointed that not a single male artistic swimmer has been selected for Paris 2024,” said the statement from the governing body of World Aquatics, reports AP. “This should have been a key moment for the sport [and] all of us in the artistic swimming community must work even harder to improve opportunities for male athletes in the sport.”
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Despite artistic swimming teams not including men, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed in March 2023 that the 2024 Paris Games would be the first time the Olympic Games would “achieve numerical gender equality”.
The IOC confirmed that “of the 10,500 athletes who will participate in the Games, 5,250 will be men and 5,250 women.”
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Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education