The International Olympic Committee (IOC) chose “going green” as the theme of the 2024 Paris Olympics. For the 2028 Games in Los Angeles, the IOC seems to have chosen “gender equality.”
IOC Sports Director Kit McConnell told reporters that the 2028 Games will see a marked increase in events where men and women compete together.
“The mixed events are a real true embodiment of gender equality — men and women competing in the same team, on the same field of play for their country,” McConnell said.
“We’ve seen the real success of these (mixed-gender events). They bring something incredibly special for the athletes involved.”
The sports earmarked to see the largest increase in mixed-gender competition are golf, track, and gymnastics.
Sebastian Coe, rumored to be a favorite to succeed Thomas Bach as head of the IOC, lost his bid for the coveted job to Zimbabwean Kirsty Coventry. Coe and Coventry strongly opposed allowing men to compete in women’s sports.
However, one wonders if the emphasis on expanding mixed-gender competition under the banner of “gender quality” isn’t an attempt to placate liberal members of the IOC upset by the plans to ban trans athletes.
