Paris Olympics 2024: Men set to compete for the First Time in Artistic Swimming

After the International Olympic Committee (IOC) granted a request from World Aquatics, men will compete in Olympic artistic swimming for the first time in Paris in 2024. With eight competitors on each team, men will finally be allowed to compete in the team event. The revised rules will allow each squad to have a maximum of two men, with ten teams expected to participate in Paris. According to World Aquatics, this will be part of the drive toward inclusivity, which athletes have welcomed as the achievement of an unachievable goal.

Artistic swimming, also known as synchronized swimming until 2017, has been included in the Olympic Games since 1984, and this will be the first time that men will be eligible for the category. Since 2015, men have been eligible to compete in the discipline at the World Aquatics Championships. Before becoming a coach and one of the primary advocates for the shift, American Bill May was the first-ever artistic swimming male world champion in the first mixed duet technical event in 2015.

Read more: Viacom18 granted rights to broadcast the Paris Olympics 2024

What the President of World Aquatics, Husain Al-Musallam Had To Say

“Aquatics sports are universal and men have proven themselves to be excellent artistic swimmers. I look forward to seeing this new dimension of artistic swimming being shared with the world in Paris. The inclusion of men in artistic swimming is a great credit to all those who have worked for many years to make this happen,” said Husain Al-Musallam, the President of World Aquatics.

What Italian synchronized swimmer, Giorgio Minisini Had To Say

“This announcement marks a milestone in artistic swimming history. Our sport’s evolution towards inclusivity is going on fast forward, and this decision from IOC and World Aquatics will help us become an example for the whole Olympic movement.  As one of the most popular sports in the Games, we are ready to share the Olympic motto around the world louder than ever: Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together,” Giorgio Minisini stated.

Read more: Swimming Governing Body FINA changes its name to ‘World Aquatics’