A. Olympic Sports included in the Program of the Olympic Games

1. To be included in the program of the Olympic Games, an Olympic sport must conform to the following criteria:
   • only sports widely practiced by men in at least seventy-five countries and on four continents, and by women in at least forty countries and on three continents, may be included in the program of the Games of the Olympiad;
     
   • only sports widely practiced in at least twenty five five countries and on three continents may be included in the program of the Olympic Winter Games;
   • only sports that apply the Olympic Movement Anti-Doping Code and in particular perform out-of-competition testing in accordance with the rules of the World Anti-Doping Agency will be included in the program of the Olympic Games.
   • sports are admitted to the program of the Olympic Games at least seven years before specific Olympic Games in respect of which no change shall thereafter be permitted.

B. Disciplines

1. A discipline, being a branch of an Olympic sport comprising one or several events, must have a recognized international standing to be included in the program of the Olympic Games.
2. The standards for the admission of disciplines are the same as those required for the admission of Olympic sports.
   
3. A discipline is admitted to the program at least seven years before specific Olympic Games in respect of which no change shall thereafter be permitted.

C. Events

1. An event, being a competition in an Olympic sport or in one of its disciplines and resulting in a ranking, gives rise to the award of medals and diplomas.
2. To be included in the program of the Olympic Games, events must have a recognized international standing both numerically and geographically, and have been included at least twice in world or continental championships.
3. Only events practiced by men in at least fifty countries and on three continents, and by women in at least thirty-five countries and on three continents, may be included in the program of the Olympic Games.
4. Events are admitted four years before specific Olympic Games in respect of which no change shall thereafter be permitted.

D. Criteria for Admission of Sports, Disciplines and Events

1. To be included in the program of the Olympic Games any sport, discipline or event must satisfy the conditions specified by this rule.
2. Sports, disciplines or events in which performance depends essentially on mechanical propulsion are not acceptable.
3. Unless the IOC decides to the contrary, a single event cannot simultaneously give rise to both an individual and a team ranking.
4. Sports, disciplines or events included in the program of the Olympic Games which no longer satisfy the criteria of this rule may nevertheless, in certain exceptional cases, be maintained therein by decision of the IOC for the sake of Olympic tradition.

E. IFs' Notice of Participation in the Olympic Games

1. The IFs governing the sports included in the program of the Olympic Games must confirm to the IOC their participation in the respective Olympic Games not later than at the time of the IOC Session which elects the host city for such Games.

F. Exceptional Admission of a Discipline or Event

1. In exceptional cases, and subject to the agreement of the IF concerned and the OCOG, the IOC may depart from the time limits laid down in paragraphs 2 and 3 above, in order to include a discipline or event in the program of the Olympic Games of one specific Olympiad.

G. Competence as to the Admission or Exclusion of a Sport, Discipline or Event

1. The admission or exclusion of a sport falls within the competence of the IOC Session. A decision to include or exclude a discipline or event falls within the competence of the IOC Executive Board.