The International Olympic Committee have ratified the International Cycling Union's proposed changes to the Olympic track cycling programme in full, with major repercussions for Great Britain.
In a bid for gender parity, the UCI and IOC have agreed to a programme to begin at London 2012 which features five men's and five women's events - boosting Victoria Pendleton's hopes of emulating Sir Chris Hoy's achievement of winning three gold medals at one Games.
The men's and women's individual pursuits - in which Bradley Wiggins and Rebecca Romero are Olympic champions - men's and women's points races and the men's Madison are to disappear in favour of sprints, keirins, team sprints, team pursuits and omniums for both sexes.
There were seven events for men and three for women at the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008.
The prospect of additional events was ruled out earlier this year, so wholesale changes were required to equalise the events for the genders.
The changes were discussed at this week's IOC executive board meeting in Lausanne, with IOC president Jacques Rogge revealing the changes this afternoon.
An IOC statement read: "The changes to the track cycling programme see the number of women's events increase from three in Beijing in 2008 to five in London, with the total number of track cycling events now at five each for men and women.
"The changes reflect the IOC's desire to continually refresh the programme, as well as its commitment to increase women's participation.
"These changes in the track cycling programme bring the number of women cyclists at the Games to 84, up from 35 in Beijing.
"Women will now make up 45 per cent of the total number of track cyclists at the Games (compared to 19 per cent in Beijing)."
Britain are the world's foremost track nation, winning seven out of the 10 available titles at Beijing's Laoshan Velodrome last year.
Hoy won three of those titles, little more than two years after hearing of the demise of the one-kilometre time-trial - the event he won in Athens in 2004.
Now Pendleton - already Olympic sprint champion - has the opportunity to replicate the feat she achieved in China in front of a partisan crowd.
The changes, however, mean yet another challenge for Romero.
The 29-year-old transformed herself from rowing silver medallist in Athens in 2004 to Olympic champion at the velodrome in the women's three kilometres pursuit four years later.
As Britain adjusted their programme when the changes were proposed, Romero turned her attention to the road time-trial.
She remains determined to reach the podium in a third successive Games and a third separate discipline.
Romero said: "I'm disappointed that the chance for me to defend my Olympic title has been taken away, especially at this late stage in the Olympiad only two years before Olympic qualification.
"But with challenges come opportunities and I'll endeavour to work harder than before to reach the podium in London 2012 in a third different discipline (road cycling) - something I will relish, having previously excelled in the physical, technical and tactical journey of switching from rowing to track cycling."
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