The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board (EB) approved Thursday the inclusion of a mixed doubles tennis event and several changes to the track cycling program for the London 2012 Summer Olympic Games.
The International Tennis Federation and the International Cycling Union requested the changes which were made as part of the IOC’s systematic review of the Olympic program.
The IOC says the inclusion of the tennis mixed doubles event won’t increase the number of athletes and will bring an added value to the Olympic program by providing another opportunity for men and women to compete together on the same field of play.
The changes to the track cycling program will see the number of women’s events increase from three at the Beijing 2008 Games to five in London, with the total number of track cycling events now at five each for men and women.
Under the new changes in the track cycling program the number of women cyclists will be 84, up from 35 in Beijing. Women will now make up 45 per cent of the total number of track cyclists in London compared to 19 per cent in Beijing.
Both men and women will now compete in the sprint, team sprint, keirin, team pursuit and omnium events. The men’s and women’s individual pursuit, men’s and women’s points race and men’s Madison events will not longer be part of the Olympic program.
