Men have competed in synchro at the lower levels for decades. Now they're being included in the Olympics, meaning next year's Summer Games in Paris.
Allowing men to compete in the artistic swimming competition for the first time at the Olympics next summer in Paris is "a huge opportunity for the sport to grow and attract more me," says American athlete Bill May. He was among the first men to compete when synchronized swimming was part of the world championships for the first time in 2015.
"I think it's a huge opportunity for the sport to grow and attract more men," May, an American, told the Associated Press at the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan. "By keeping men out you're limiting the sport. By including men you're going to see an upshift in the popularity and the numbers."
"There has always been that misconception that it's a female-only sport, or that it's for wimps, or that it's not a difficult sport," the 44-year-old May said. "Anyone that has anything negative to say about the sport -- boy, female, anyone. Just try it and you'll know it's the most difficult sport in the world.
"It makes me emotional just to think about the problems we all went through and the struggles we all had just to get a chance to swim and do what we love," said Gaudet who competed at this year's worlds.
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