The Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games will be the first in the history of major multi-sport Games to have an equal number of medal events for men and women, with seven new women’s events and categories across Weightlifting, Boxing and Cycling confirmed on the sports programme.

Welcoming the announcement – made by GC2018 Chairman Peter Beattie AC at the Commonwealth Games Federation’s Sports Summit in front of sporting leaders from 71 nations and territories of the Commonwealth – President of the Commonwealth Games Federation, Louise Martin CBE, said:

“We’ve come a long way since the first Games in 1930, when women competed in justseven(or 12%of) medal events. The last edition of the Games in Glasgow created the highest-everpercentage of medal events for women (48.5%), placing true gender equality in medal opportunities at the Games clearly within reach.

“This is a significant step towards the realisation of the Commonwealth Games Federation’s vision for gender equality. I’m so proud that the CGF, GOLDOC, the Australian Commonwealth GamesAssociation and our International Federation colleagues have worked together to close the gender gap in time for Gold Coast 2018 – and present an equal number of medal moments for men and women for the first time ever at a major Games.”

The seven events added to the programme take the total number of medal events at Gold Coast 2018to a record-breaking 275. The additional events are:

One additional Women’s Weightlifting event (+90kg)
Three new Women’s Boxing events (45kg – 48kg, 54 – 57kg and +75kg); and
Three new Women’s Track Cycling events (Keirin, Team Sprint & Team Pursuit).
With Gold Coast 2018 also hosting the largest ever para-sport programme, organising committee GOLDOC hopes that this focus on inclusivity will prove to be one of the lasting legacies of the 2018 Games.

“This is such a positive move for all sports,” said two-time Commonwealth 100m hurdles champion Sally Pearson, an Athlete Ambassador for the Gold Coast Games. “I am particularly proud that this initiative will commence in my home-town on the Gold Coast in 2018, to be held up as a shining example for other events to follow.”