Male athletes have been granted permission to compete in the artistic swimming events for the first time ever at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, according to a statement released by World Athletics on Thursday.
This follows the International Olympic Committee’s decision to approve the request made by the world swimming body to include men’s participation in the event at the Games.
Artistic swimming, formerly known as synchronised swimming until 2017, has been a summer Olympic event since the 1984 Games in Los Angeles, and it has been strictly for women only.
However, with this new ruling, a maximum of two men will be permitted in the eight-athlete team artistic swimming event at the Games, from 10 different countries.
In the statement, World Aquatics President Captain Husain Al-Musallam expressed his happiness for men’s inclusion in the event at the Games.
“Aquatics sports are universal and men have proven themselves to be excellent artistic swimmers. I look forward to seeing this new dimension of artistic swimming being shared with the world in Paris. The inclusion of men in artistic swimming is a great credit to all those who have worked for many years to make this happen,” he said.
Although male athletes have participated in the artistic swimming event since 2015 at the FINA World Aquatics Championships, this will be the first time it will be allowed at the Olympics.
Most recently, at the 2022 World Championships in Budapest, the mixed duet was won by Italians Giorgio Minisini and Lucrezia Ruggiero in a 13-nation contest.
This therefore makes rhythmic gymnastics the only women’s event at the upcoming Summer Games.
The Paris Summer Games are scheduled to take place from July 26 until August 11, 2024.
