Inaugural Olympic Qualifier Series applauded by IOC president

Spectators cheer during the women's boulder & lead final of sport climbing at the Olympic Qualifier Series in east China's Shanghai, May 19, 2024. (Xinhua/He Changshan)

With the inaugural Olympic Qualifier Series having drawn to a close, IOC chief Thomas Bach has heaped praise on the project.

SHANGHAI, May 19 (Xinhua) -- International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach expressed profound satisfaction with the inaugural Olympic Qualifier Series (OQS) on Sunday, hailing it as a landmark event in Olympic history.

Bach made the remarks at a press conference on the closing day of the OQS in Shanghai, lauding the "exciting sport" and the "happy faces" of athletes both on and off the field of play.

"If you look at the public here, it's indeed the younger generation that is enjoying this new Olympic experience," Bach said as he observed skateboarding, breaking, and sport climbing events later in the day.

According to the organizing committee, over 45,000 spectators attended the four-day event, of which 11 percent were from overseas. Of the audience, 30 percent were under 18 years old, and 58 percent were aged between 18 and 45.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach watches the women's boulder & lead final of sport climbing at the Olympic Qualifier Series. (Xinhua/Wang Kaiyan)

"This is the result of our Olympic Agenda reforms, which are promoting sports to be more urban, more youth, more inclusive, and more sustainable, and also representing gender equality," Bach said.

"Shanghai is one step there on this road and we will see in the Paris Olympic Games exactly along these new lines on how the IOC are imagining the Olympic Games of our modern times."

Running from May 16 to 19 in Shanghai, the inaugural OQS has hosted 464 athletes across BMX freestyle cycling, breaking, skateboarding, and sport climbing. The second stop is scheduled for Budapest from June 20 to 23.

The OQS offers over 150 quota places at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.