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International Olympic Committee president Jacques
Rogge's dream of bringing new sports into the Olympics has
been left in tatters here.
It looked liked he was going to get his way when in the morning
session on Friday he managed to get the IOC rank and file
to remove two sports from the London 2012 programme - baseball
and softball.
But his attempt to have them replaced in a secret vote in
the afternoon session collapsed in confusion when the IOC
members supported squash and karate but refused to give them
the crucial 'Olympic sport' status needed to be in the Games.
Five sports had been vying to be in the London 2012 Games
- golf, roller sports, squash, rugby sevens and karate.
In a vote-off, squash and karate got the needed simple majority.
But to become an Olympic sport requires a change in the Olympic
Charter, which takes a two-thirds majority.
The 105 voting members delivered a crushing 'NO' leaving
Rogge and his ruling executive to come up with some way of
increasing the number of disciplines in London to keep the
target of 10,500 athletes.
Rogge caused uproar when he tried to have the Charter changes
decided by a show of hands.
There was a roar of protest from the members and the president
was forced to have a secret vote.
At the end of a roller-coaster day the Summer Olympics has
now been reduced from 28 sports to 26 from 2012 onwards.
While the federations will be richer when the 14 million
odd dollars given to softball and baseball from the Olympic
television rights is redistributed, the 2012 Games will be
two sports short.
Softball federation president Don Porter was stunned by the
decision.
Three years ago at the Mexico City Session, IOC president
Jacques Rogge attempted to have baseball, softball and modern
pentathlon cut from the Olympics but the plan was firmly rejected
by the IOC members.
"It's payback for Mexico City. They wanted us out then.
It has taken them three years and they got us," said
Porter.
"We thought that we had a lot of support," he said.
"The members told us we were getting support, but obviously
we weren't.
"I don't want to say it's an anti-US thing, but they
are two native American sports," he added.
Aldo Notari, the Italian president of the international baseball
federation, admitted the absence of the top players in the
Olympics was to blame for the vote.
"One is not happy when one is in this situation. The
problem with baseball is the best players are not going to
the Olympics Games. But baseball is still in Beijing and it
is still necessary to work for the future in 2016."
The expulsion will cost the two sports millions of dollars.
All Olympic sports share the television revenue generated
by the Games. After the Athens Games softball and baseball
received an estimated seven million dollars each.
ASOIF - the body representing the summer Games sports - had
bitterly fought Rogge's plan to change the Olympic programme.
"You don't change a winning team," said ASOIF president
and IOC member Denis Oswald. "Once you take one piece
out to put another piece in, you don't know what the consequences
will be."
But his plea was rejected by the IOC members.
"Needless to say, these sports are very, very disappointed,"
said Rogge.
"However, I have to emphasise the fact that they should
not fear this purge. The fact is that they shall not be included
in the programme of the 2012 Olympic Games, but it does not
disqualify them forever as Olympic sports."
"I would like to invite the leaders of these sports
that will not be included in the programme to make their very
best efforts during the coming years so as to be able to convince
the session that they deserve to come back to the Olympic
Games in 2016. We shall support them in their efforts."
The last time a sport was removed from the Olympics was polo
in 1936.
Source: AFP
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