POSTED ON: JUNE 9TH, 2017

From the International Olympic Committee Press Release June 9, 2017

“TOKYO 2020 EVENT PROGRAMME TO SEE MAJOR BOOST FOR FEMALE PARTICIPATION, YOUTH AND URBAN APPEAL

THE EXECUTIVE BOARD (EB) OF THE INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE (IOC) TODAY APPROVED THE EVENT PROGRAMME FOR THE OLYMPIC GAMES TOKYO 2020. THE DECISION MARKS A KEY MILESTONE IN THE EVOLUTION OF THE OLYMPIC PROGRAMME BY INTRODUCING YOUTH AND URBAN INNOVATIONS, SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVING GENDER EQUALITY, AND REDUCING THE OVERALL NUMBER OF ATHLETES HENCE REDUCING THE GAMES’ FOOTPRINT.  

Commenting on the decision, IOC President Thomas Bach said: “The fascinating new events that we approved today, together with the five new sports that were added to the Tokyo 2020 programme last year, represent a step-change in the Olympic programme. I am delighted that the Olympic Games in Tokyo will be more youthful, more urban and will include more women.”

International Canoe Federation Press Release:  “The International Canoe Federation is committed to gender equity at the next Olympics, and has introduced three new women’s events for Tokyo. In sprint canoe, women’s C1 200 and C2 500 will be added to the program, while men’s K2 200 and C1 200 will be removed. In slalom, women’s C1 will be introduced for the first time in Tokyo, while men’s C2 will no longer be on the program. “We understand this is a difficult decision for those athletes who have had their events changed,” ICF President Jose Perurena said. “But as a sport we need to show leadership. Gender equality is extremely important in all levels of society, and canoeing is determined to be a leader in this field.”

Note from WomenCAN International:  This will be the first Olympics for “Canoeing” to have an equal number of men’s and women’s events.  However, women still compete in shorter distances than the men (1000 meters for men vs 500 meters for women).  Additionally, there are still more kayak events than canoe events.

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