Following the recommendation of the Olympic Programme Commission, the Executive Board today proposed seven sports for the initial sports programme of the 2030 Olympic Winter Games: biathlon, bobsleigh, curling, ice hockey, luge, skating and skiing, all of which would be overseen by the relevant winter International Sports Federations (IFs) as listed in the Olympic Charter. The proposal will now be submitted to the 142 Olympic Committees.and IOC session for decision.
“All seven sports were part of the first Olympic Winter Games sports programme since Nagano 1998 and contributed significantly to the success of Beijing 2022, which had the highest digital engagement of any Winter Olympic Games,” IOC member and Olympic Programme Commission chair Karl Stoss told the Executive Committee.
The addition of a sport allows freedom to consider the allocation of related disciplines, events and athletes. Organising Committees of the Olympic Games (OCOGs) still have the opportunity to propose additional sports if they wish. Milan-Cortina 2026 was the first Winter Games OCOG to propose the addition of an additional sport – ski mountaineering – which was approved at the IOC Session in July 2021.
In a first for a Winter Olympic Games, and in a similar process to that used for LA28, the Executive Board, following the recommendation of the Olympic Programme Commission, approved an intermediate step to determine the events for each sport in 2025, before the competition programme and athlete quotas are finalised (no later than 2027).
This will allow athletes, National Olympic Committees and IFs more time to prepare for the Games and give the OCOG earlier clarity on the final venue master plan. The competition evaluation criteria are expected to be finalized in the fourth quarter of 2024 in collaboration with the IFs, OCOG and the IOC.
“The focus should remain on maximising the positive impact of the Games wherever possible, and on developing a programme that is well-rounded and relevant for young people, gender equality, innovation, universality and ensuring the participation of the best athletes while reducing costs,” IOC sports director Kit McConnell said in a statement.
