JO-2028: IOC wants to include rock climbing, surfing and skateboarding

These three "youth-oriented" sports could replace three historic Olympic disciplines: boxing, weightlifting and modern pentathlon, in the hot seat for a variety of reasons.

Formally, the IOC executive will propose at its 139th session, on January 31, 2022 before the Beijing Winter Games, to add climbing, surfing and skateboarding to the list of the 28 initial Olympic sports in California, immediately guaranteeing them hardships.

In Tokyo, they had taken their first Olympic steps under the more precarious status of "additional sports" submitted by the organizers and deprived of the manna of TV rights, which will again be the case in Paris - by adding the breakdance of which he was not discussed on Thursday.

"Their significant contribution to the success of Tokyo-2020 and the commitment to innovate of Los Angeles-2028", as well as their "deep Californian roots", explain the IOC's desire to perpetuate them.

As the Olympic body imposes a quota of 10,500 participants in the Olympics to "limit the costs and complexity" of its summer high mass, it withdraws for the time being from the list of 28 boxing, weightlifting and modern pentathlon .

But these three sports, Olympic for more than a century, could "be potentially included" in the program of Los Angeles during the IOC session of 2023, if they give sufficient pledges of reform.

The International Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA), deprived in 2019 of the organization of its own Olympic tournament for multiple failures in management and refereeing, has been headed for a year by the Russian Umar Kremlev, who insists on wanting restore its credibility.

"There will certainly be more to do in terms of sporting integrity, financial integrity and governance", acknowledged Thursday Mr. Kremlev in a statement, saying nevertheless "grateful" for the maintenance of the program of Paris-2024 and "establishing a clear roadmap".

The French Mickael Mawem engaged in the climbing event of the Tokyo 2020 Games, August 5, 2021 MOHD RASFAN AFP / Archives

Weightlifting, still under the threat of Olympic radiation from 2024 due to a cascade of doping and corruption scandals, still raises "serious concerns" and remains under surveillance, said Thomas Bach.

As for the modern pentathlon, it is undergoing a complete overhaul due to the Saint Boy affair, the name of the horse that a German rider and her trainer had hit during the Tokyo Games, and must now find which discipline to replace riding. - fencing, shooting, running and swimming completing the event.

© 2021 AFP