For the first time in Olympic history, men will be able to compete on artistic swimming teams in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
According to NBC Olympics, the revised regulations state that “up to two men per country may compete in the team competition, which features teams of eight athletes.”
The Associated Press originally reported the rule change to the synchronized swimming competition in July 2023 at the World Aquatics Championships.
“I think it’s a huge opportunity for the sport to grow and attract more men,” American synchronized swimmer Bill May told the Associated Press during the World Aquatics Championships in 2023. “By excluding guys, you are restricting the sport. By incorporating guys, you’ll notice an increase in popularity and numbers.
The sport was initially debuted as synchronized swimming at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, with only women allowed on the squad. Men are already allowed to compete in lower-level artistic swimming contests, although they were previously barred from making the Olympic squad.
“There has always been that misconception that it’s a female-only sport, or that it’s for wimps, or that it’s not a difficult sport,” May told the audience. “Anyone who has anything unfavorable to say about the sport—boy, girl, or anyone. Just try it, and you’ll realize it’s the most difficult sport in the world.”
Despite the new rule change, no males were picked for either of the artistic swim teams, and they will not compete in the Paris Games.
“World Aquatics is very disappointed that no male artistic swimmers have been selected for Paris 2024,” the governing organization stated in a statement, according to the Associated Press. “This should have been a landmark moment for the sport [and] all of us in the artistic swimming community need to work even harder to progress opportunities for male athletes in the sport.”
Despite the lack of males on artistic swimming teams, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) declared in March 2023 that the 2024 Paris Games will be the first time the Olympics “achieve numerical gender parity.”
The IOC declared that “of the 10,500 athletes participating in the Games, 5,250 will be men and 5,250 women.”
