Breakdancing makes next move to Olympic status at Paris 2024

AP  |  Lausanne (Switzerland) 

and three other have made the next move toward becoming medal events at the 2024

A final decision must be made by the board in December 2020 after further monitoring of the four.

Also Wednesday, the board agreed to continue helping North and South Korean athletes and officials work together despite diplomatic setbacks between the neighboring governments in recent days.

Joint Korean teams are being prepared in four to try to qualify for the 2020 Olympics, and a co-hosting bid for is a possible aim.

With those and in mind, a panel has been asked to look at ways of making an often expensive and politically unpopular candidate process "more flexible and more targeted."

"The may approach a city or a region and tell them, 'Listen, isn't it not a time for you now?'" said at a conference after the second of three days of board meetings.

Making the more affordable and responsive has been a key aim for Bach. He praised the four likely additions to the medal program as "more gender balanced, more youthful and more urban" "These four also offer the opportunity to connect with the young generation," he said.

Though would be new in the Summer Games, the other three are already confirmed for the 2020 lineup.

All four sports will be assessed for how they are managed, and the integrity of competitions and judging, before being finalized for Paris.

The IOC hosted a meeting of and sports officials in February, one year after the neighbors fielded a combined teams women's at the Pyeongchang Olympics hosted south of the border.

Last Friday, withdrew staff from a shared liaison office in its border town of Some staff returned to work on Monday.

"We will try to continue our efforts there with a view to helping and assisting the athletes and the (national Olympic committees)," Bach said.

Combined Korean teams in women's basketball, women's field hockey, mixed team judo, and men's and women's are preparing to enter qualification this year to compete in

If a Korean bid emerges for the 2032 Olympics, it could compete with candidates from Australia, India, and which have expressed early interest.

Asked if plans to simplify Olympic bidding could see the IOC approach a favored city, Bach said it was "not our goal." "The are too big and too important that you could have an arrangement with a city," he said.

The new panel of five IOC members, chaired by of Australia, aims to suggest ideas for the candidate process by the June 24-26 meeting of the full membership in

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First Published: Thu, March 28 2019. 02:35 IST