The programme for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games will be decided in April 2027, but international federations will first face a milestone that could shape their future. In December, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) intends to identify which existing disciplines it will recommend retaining automatically, which will undergo a comparative assessment and which candidates will leave the process. Most existing disciplines will receive an automatic recommendation, although final approval will rest with the Session.
The revised timetable, approved by the IOC Executive Board meeting in Dakar, places the final decision at the 147th Session, to be held in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. The change provides more time to apply the new methodology and consult federations and the organising committee. However, December will be the first point at which it becomes clear which disciplines must pass an additional assessment to feature at Brisbane 2032. Placement in that group will not mean exclusion, just as a favourable recommendation will not replace April’s vote.
More time to decide, with an initial selection in December
The IOC had intended to settle the programme during 2026. In early October, the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) called for the decision to be taken at the April 2027 Session rather than concluding an accelerated process in December. Federations sought sufficient time to understand the methodology, provide information and engage in meaningful dialogue with the Olympic body. The approved timetable aligns with that request for the final decision, while retaining an intermediate stage with significant implications for those involved in the assessment.
The Executive Board intends to establish three groups: existing disciplines it will automatically recommend to the Session, existing and candidate disciplines that will proceed to the combined comparison phase, and candidates that will not advance further. The distinction between the latter two categories is essential: an existing discipline undergoing further review will still have a chance to remain at the Games. For its federation, however, that step will mean demonstrating its contribution against other proposals seeking inclusion. Olympic history will form part of the context, but the comparison will also require an examination of its reach, athlete representation and organisational requirements.
The assessment focuses on disciplines, not just sports
Brisbane 2032 will be the first to implement the methodology approved by the 146th IOC Session, as part of the Fit for the Future reforms introduced under President Kirsty Coventry. The system introduces an initial review of governance, integrity, anti-doping compliance and athlete safeguarding. The subsequent assessment is structured around three criteria: global appeal, cost and operational complexity, and athlete representation. A final stage will compare the highest-rated candidates with existing disciplines receiving lower assessments, through a process developed in collaboration with the federations.
This approach allows disciplines within the same sport to be examined separately and requires a distinction between decisions that are often confused. A sport can remain Olympic even if one of its disciplines loses its place, while retaining a discipline does not guarantee that its number of events or athlete quota will remain unchanged. The announcement does not establish a target of reducing the programme to 26 or 27 sports. Comparisons with London 2012 or Los Angeles 2028 should therefore not be presented as an already approved reduction: sports, disciplines, medal events and athlete places are different components of the programme.
Federations gain time as Brisbane needs to finalise its venues
For federations entering the comparative phase, the months after December will provide an opportunity to support their proposals with data on international participation, audience engagement, athlete representation and operational requirements. For candidates, that same phase will allow their contribution to be compared with that of existing disciplines. The assessment is not a ranking based solely on popularity or costs: institutional and integrity criteria also form part of the process. The methodology also provides for disciplines that are not retained to seek a return at future editions through the candidate pathway.
The timetable also affects the Brisbane 2032 Organising Committee and its Australian partners. The selection of disciplines influences venues, equipment, transport, accommodation and resource allocation. A discipline requiring a dedicated facility presents different demands from one that can use an existing venue or share a field of play. The IOC has acknowledged the advanced stage of preparations and committed to applying the new system with flexibility. Venue planning will need to progress while the sporting assessment is completed, without the cost of a venue alone providing grounds to predict the decision on a discipline.
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