Anyhow, from the story:
The acrobatic team event, in particular, features lifts, throws and flips, and diving routines launched off the shoulders of teammates treading water below. It’s gymnastics on water and concussions are a risk.
If that's what it is, letting men compete is crazy. The strength differential will be overwhelming. But there's also this:
Another fear, apparently unfounded, is that women might resent the men competing in the sport. Men will compete in only team events at the Olympics. Teams have a maximum of eight members — with a limit of two men — which means men might crowd out some women.
So they're creating a mixed/coed event, like pairs skating?
The story says that men have participated in synchronized swimming for decades. Ok. I can believe that. And I'm not going to make snarky remarks about them all being gay. Maybe, maybe not. Don't know, don't care.
Nor do I care about synchronized swimming at all. It shouldn't be in the Olympics. It's water ballet, which I suppose is fine, and I can see that it certainly can involve a lot of conditioning and stamina, but a competitive sport? No, and I don't like figure skating either, but that's another story. Competitive sports should involve objective measurements and direct head to head competition, not purely subjective grading of artistic quality.
Oh well, we lost that argument a long time ago. Maybe we should lobby for competitive freeping to become an Olympic sport. That involves stamina too, and it probably has more participants than synchronized swimming. It's also gender neutral, which should be a big selling point nowadays.
I don't want to boast, but I might look good on a Wheaties box....
“It’s gymnastics on water and concussions are a risk.”
I’m thinking maybe concussions are a mandatory qualification.