LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — The IOC is considering new medal events for the 2016 Rio Olympics — 3-on-3 basketball, BMX freestyle and eight more swimming races.
IOC sports director Christophe Dubi tells The Associated Press that Olympic sports federations were “extremely creative” with their requests to add extra events and athletes after the successful London Games.
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The governing body’s executive board will decide Aug. 9 in Moscow which events to add after studying reports from Dubi’s department.
Currently, the Rio Games are to award 306 gold medals across 28 sports with a maximum of 10,700 athletes.
Dubi says the Olympics “could give a boost” to new sports that aren’t yet mainstream. Events seeking to add more teams include basketball, beach volleyball and women’s water polo.