The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games rowing programme announced

For immediate release
Lausanne, 12 June 2017

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board has announced the Tokyo 2020 Olympic rowing event programme and quota.

The Executive Board of the IOC announced its decision for the event programme for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games on Friday 9 June. The FISA proposal for the Olympic Rowing Regatta, selected by the Extraordinary Congress in Tokyo last February, has been approved: the gender-balanced 14 event programme is now official.

The IOC made a comprehensive review of all sport quotas with seven sports’ quotas being reduced, some dramatically. The rowing quota has been reduced by 24 athletes so rowing will have 526 athletes in Tokyo compared to the 550 athletes in Rio. This is part of the IOC’s commitment towards meeting the Olympic Agenda 2020 goal of a cap of 10,500 athletes at the Games. There were 10,901 athletes in Rio and, with these changes, Tokyo should have 10,616 athletes over the 28 sports.

For rowing the move to gender equity sees the adding of the women’s four and the removal of the lightweight men’s four from the Olympic rowing programme. This change will make for an equal number of women and men competing in rowing at the Olympics – 263 athletes of each gender. 

FISA President Jean-Christophe Rolland said, “This is the result of a long, transparent process of consultation with all our stakeholders in open meetings with multiple proposals and, in parallel, understanding the key issues for the IOC in constructive discussions. We are proud that rowing’s Olympic programme is now gender equal in events and athlete numbers.”

In addition to increasing gender equity to 48.8 per cent, including the introduction of several mixed gender events, and bringing the total number of athletes closer to the goal of 10,500, the IOC Executive Board has also confirmed the introduction of ‘three-on-three’ basketball which should make the Games more attractive to youth and offers this as an ‘urban’ sport innovation.

For the full Olympic programme, click here.