Posted February 24, 2017 09:45:49

Photo: Men could be competing against female shooters in up to three Olympic events in Tokyo if a new plan is approved. (REUTERS: Edgard Garrido)

Men and women could be competing against each other in up to three Olympic shooting events at Tokyo in 2020, if a plan goes ahead to help achieve the IOC's goal of 50 percent female participation in the Games.

Following a two-year evaluation process, the International Shooting Sport Federation said it would recommend scrapping the men's 50-metre free pistol, 50-metre rifle prone and the double trap events in favour of introducing three mixed events, one in each discipline.

Australia's James Willett finished fifth in men's double trap at the Rio Olympics in 2016.

Daniel Repacholi came 28th in men's 50m pistol, and Dane Sampson and Warren Potent finished 31st and 35th respectively in the 50-metre rifle prone.

There were nine men's events and six women's events in Rio. The women's events were the 10m air pistol, the 10m air rifle, the 25m pistol, the 50m rifle three positions, the skeet and the single trap.

"The ISSF Executive Committee and Administrative Council unanimously approved the recommendation for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic program that aims to achieve gender equality and retain 15 Olympic events," the ISSF said.

The ISSF also stressed its desire to stick with five rifle, five pistol and five shotgun events as it hopes to "preserve discipline parity" among the Olympic shooting events.

"We fully support gender equality, and our Committees have worked very hard to develop a Tokyo 2020 proposal that will support the future growth of our sport," ISSF president Olegario Vazquez Rana said in a statement.

"We want to ... offer all female and male athletes the same opportunities. Shooting is one of the oldest and most universal sports of the world; inclusion is part of our DNA."

The IOC will evaluate the ISSF proposal before deciding on the final 2020 Olympic shooting events programme later this year.

As it stands, men and women compete against each other in equestrian events and in sailing, while tennis and badminton have mixed doubles events.

Reuters / ABC

Topics: sport, olympics-summer, shooting, japan