The International Olympic Committee has confirmed the rowing programme for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with a gender-balanced 14 event programme for the first time.
Eric Murray, Hamish Bond and Mahe Drysdale won't be part of the New Zealand's international rowing programme in 2017. Photo: Photosport
The IOC made a comprehensive review of all sport quotas with seven sports' quotas being reduced, some dramatically.
The rowing quota has been reduced by 24 athletes so rowing will have 526 athletes in Tokyo compared to the 550 athletes in Rio.
This is part of the IOC's commitment towards meeting the Olympic Agenda 2020 goal of a cap of 10,500 athletes at the Games.
There were 10,901 athletes in Rio and, with these changes, Tokyo should have 10,616 athletes over the 28 sports.
For rowing the move to gender equity sees the adding of the women's four and the removal of the lightweight men's four from the Olympic rowing programme.
This change will make for an equal number of women and men competing in rowing at the Olympics - 263 athletes of each gender.
