The Beijing Winter Games in 2022 will cut the number of athletes attending while introducing new mixed events and increasing the percentage of females competing, according to the International Olympic Committee.
The program will include new events monobob and freestyle ski big air along with mixed team formats including short track mixed relay, a ski jumping mixed team event, mixed gender team aerials and a snowboard cross mixed team event.
"The addition of these new events for Beijing 2022 reflects our continued commitment to make the Olympic Games program more youthful and gender balanced," IOC sports director Kit McConnell said late Wednesday.
"I am very pleased to see the increase of female athletes, especially in such exciting, ground-breaking events. At the same time, we are sending a message that the size of the Olympic Winter Games is being directly addressed."
The decisions were approved in Lausanne at a meeting of the IOC executive board which continues Thursday and Friday.
A total of 2,892 athletes can be invited to Beijing 2022, a cut of 41. The female quota rises from 41 per cent to 45.4 per cent.
Biathlon has born the brunt of the reduction, losing 20 places, though McConnell said this was not a punishment for a corruption scandal.
