The decision will be a landmark. For the first time since its entry into the Olympic Games in 1900 in Paris, rowing will not only be competed in the liquid element. In less than five years, at the Los Angeles 2028 Games, the rowers will have to put their foot down.
The IOC Executive Board decided on Friday October 13: one new discipline, just one, will be added to the program outside of additional sports. Good pick for World Rowing: it’s the beach sprint. A " derived from sea rowing”, explains the Olympic body, where the competition is played both at sea and on the sand. It will replace one of the traditional rowing disciplines, the lightweight double sculls.
At the Los Angeles 2028 Games, the beach sprint will have three medal events: the men's and women's solo and the mixed duo. For the first time, rowing will in turn include a mixed event.
The IOC explains this in a press release: “ The inclusion of sprint in beach rowing is the result of a decade of development of coastal rowing with the active support of rowing communities around the world. The new discipline will share a Games venue, which has yet to be determined, with another sport"
Clarification: World Rowing will not have to wait for the 141st IOC session, which is being held in Mumbai from October 15 to 17, to celebrate the good news. The discipline program for LA28 has been finalized by the executive board. It will not be submitted for approval by members. It's in the bag.
Another decision, even more anticipated: the fate of the three sports put on hold in the run-up to the Los Angeles 2028 Games. The Olympic future of weightlifting, modern pentathlon and boxing remained up in the air. For the first two, it is no longer.
Having found with obstacle racing a credible, but also younger and less elitist, alternative to horse riding, modern pentathlon is saving its life. The IOC explains it: “ Without the replacement of horse riding with an obstacle course, this sport would not have been included in the program. » But the authority warns: “ It is essential for the UIPM (International Modern Pentathlon Union) to continue to implement necessary changes in governance and to modernize as an organization. »
Same scenario for weightlifting, another historic Summer Games. The executive commission spared him the worst. Discipline remains on the program. Its international body (IWF) owes this, according to the official version, to its decision to delegate the management of its anti-doping policy to the International Testing Agency (ITA), and to entrust the taking of sanctions to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). ), at least until the end of 2028. But, here too, the IOC will remain vigilant. “ The effectiveness of anti-doping programs for qualifying events for the Paris 2024 Games and Olympic competitions will continue to be closely monitored, as will the implementation of cultural and governance changes adopted by the IWF », announces the Olympic body.
Boxing ? She will have to wait. Less than five years before the Los Angeles 2028 Games, the IOC explains that it has not yet “ recognized as another governing body for Olympic boxing”, after withdrawing its recognition from the IBA. Any decision regarding its admission to the LA28 Games program is “ put on hold ».
At a press conference on Friday October 13, Thomas Bach was a little more explicit. “ We want boxing on the programhe assured. We have no problem with boxing or boxers, just a huge problem with its governing body. »
