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≡ WHO GETS CUT? ≡
The sensational story by Japan’s Kyodo News on Sunday said that for the 2032 Olympic Games in Brisbane (AUS), the International Olympic Committee, as an outcome of its “Fit for the Future” review will implement a “a significant reduction in the number of sports due to financial concerns” and, moreover, even those sports which remain on the program could see cuts in disciplines or events.
So, what could get cut?
There were 28 sports for the 2000 Sydney Games and the same for 2004 and 2008, going down to 26 for London 2012 and then moving back to 28 for Rio 2016, then zooming to 33 for Tokyo 2020, 32 for Paris 2024 and now 36 for Los Angeles 2028, the most ever.
Don’t look for track & field, artistic gymnastics or swimming to see cuts. They are the sports which drive the Games. For more than a decade, the IOC’s studies and the distribution of television rights shares to the International Federations have recognized basketball, cycling, football, tennis and volleyball as the next most popular and are grouped together to receive the same television rights share. All the other sports beyond those eight are in a lower tier; for example, the International Table Tennis Federation reported a $16.00 million TV rights share payment for 2024 and another $2.11 million received in 2025 for a $18.11 million total. There is a lot of money at stake.
The IOC has become sensitive to the use of stand-alone venues for small sports with limited numbers of participants, both on cost and sustainability grounds. Looking at that metric as one indicator of the sports or disciplines which might be on the chopping block, we see four sports and 15 additional disciplines which have less than 100 athletes involved for LA28:
Sports (4):
● 48: Surfing (introduced as a medal sport in 2020)
● 64: Modern Pentathlon (1912)
● 76: Sport Climbing (2020)
● 88: Skateboarding (2020)
Three of these sports are relatively new to the Games, all coming in for Tokyo 2020 as medal events. Climbing and skateboarding can be set up in temporary venues and are therefore, fairly cost effective. Surfing needs its own spot, with specific needs for quality waves and this could be an issue in some Games, but as far as 2032, fully a quarter of the World Surf League schedule is in Australia, so that’s not a problem.
Modern Pentathlon has been hanging on in the Games for a long time and stayed in for 2028 by eliminating equestrian and installing obstacle racing instead. Once held at the five different sites of swimming, fencing, equestrian, shooting and track & field, it is now held at its own site, and once again – based on cost and the small number of athletes involved – could be considered for exclusion. That would be a bitter pill to swallow after the sport changed at the IOC’s request, but it is possible. One indicator of IOC disrespect even after the change: the athlete quota went down from 72 for 2024 to just 64 for 2028.
Disciplines (15):
● 24: Cycling/BMX Freestyle (introduced as a medal sport in 2020)
● 32: Gymnastics/Trampoline (2000)
● 44: Aquatics/Open Water swimming (2008)
● 48: Cycling/BMX Racing (2008)
● 64: Rowing/Coastal Beach Sprints (2028)
● 65: Equestrian/Eventing (1912)
● 60: Equestrian/Dressage (1912)
● 72: Cycling/Mountain Bike (1996)
● 75: Equestrian/Jumping (1912)
● 82: Canoe/Slalom (1992)
● 94: Gymnastics/Rhythmic (1984)
● 96: Aquatics/Artistic Swimming (1984)
● 96: Basketball/3×3 (2020)
● 96: Volleyball/Beach (1996)
● 96: Wrestling/Greco-Roman (1896)
The entire sport of equestrian is included in this list of disciplines, as it is made up of three separate events: Dressage, Jumping and Eventing. The first two can be held in arenas and are quite popular. Eventing requires a cross-country element which must be held on an outdoor course, with significant resources to ensure horse, rider and spectator safety, including from heat. There are costs to this and it would not be a surprise to see Eventing considered for removal. It has been before.
All of the other disciplines listed as part of larger sports. Three cycling disciplines – BMX Freestyle, BMX Racing and Mountain Bike – have all come in over the past 30 years. All three require separate sites and while the BMX Freestyle can be in a temporary, in-city location, the venues for BMX Racing and Mountain Bike may have to be created at significant expense. With small numbers of athletes, they could be considered for elimination or reductions. The Olympic cycling core of road racing and track cycling are safe.
The small number of athletes in open-water swimming and the fact that it also requires its own site – sometimes combined with triathlon – means it could be removed. The sites for open water and triathlon in 2028 are different. The rowing Coastal Beach Sprints are new for 2028 and replace the Lightweight rowing classes, which the IOC did not like. It could also be cut for 2032, but seems like a popular event for Australia.
The Canoe Slalom discipline seems ripe for removal since it requires its own site, but then again, the IOC just welcomed Australian Slalom star Jessica Fox as an athlete member, one of the best ever in the sport.
Any consideration of Rhythmic and Trampoline gymnastics requires a balance between costs – they are fairly inexpensive to stage – and what they bring in as far as ticket sales and television viewing for a combined 126 athletes between the two.
Beach volleyball has proved its popularity and appears safe and 3×3 basketball should be fairly cost-effective to put on and could be held even in a small arena if desired, as opposed to the usual temporary outdoor court set-up.
The knock on Greco-Roman wrestling is that it is only for men, but United World Wrestling is moving toward introducing a women’s division in the future.
We’ll know more in the coming days as the IOC Executive Board meets on Wednesday and Thursday, with a news conference featuring President Kirsty Coventry (ZIM) on Thursday to explain it all.
Rich Perelman
Editor
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