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For the first time in Olympic history, men will be allowed to compete in artistic swimming at the 2024 Paris Olympics, according to an announcement from World Aquatics on Thursday. International Olympic Committee approval means that there are a maximum of two men that can be selected among the eight athletes on each team event. Artistic swimming, which was formerly known as synchronized swimming until 2017, will include 10 countries.Artistic swimming has been an Olympic event since the 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles. Men being added to the sport makes rhythmic gymnastics the only women-only event that the Summer Games have to offer.”Aquatics sports are universal and men have proven themselves to be excellent artistic swimmers,” World Aquatics president Husain Al-Musallam said in a statement.
Since 2015, men have competed in artistic swimming events at the FINA World Aquatics Championships. At the inaugural mixed duet event in Kazan Russia in 2015, Bill May and Christina Jones of the United States won the gold medal.”The inclusion of men in Olympic Artistic Swimming was once considered the impossible dream,” May said. “This proves that we should all dream big. The male athletes have endured. Now, through their perseverance and the help and support of so many, all athletes may stand alongside each other equally, reaching for Olympic glory.” During the 2022 world championships in Budapest, the mixed duet ended up being won by Giorgio Minisini and Lucrezia Ruggiero of Italy in a event that was participated in by 13 countries.
The Paris Summer Games are scheduled to take place from July 26 until Aug. 11, 2024.