Baseball/Softball, Squash React to IOC Reforms of Sports Program -- On the Scene

(ATR) Two federations have moved quickly to launch their campaigns to join the Tokyo Olympics after the IOC revamped how the Olympic sports program will be chosen.

The presidents of baseball-softball and squash reacted after the IOC Session in Monaco approved three recommendations produced by its "Procedure for the composition of the Olympic program" working group.

The reforms offer greater flexibility in adding sports and events to the Olympics with organizing committees allowed to make a proposal for "one or more additional events" as a one-off.

With the IOC now transitioning from a sport- to an event-based program – around 310 events for the Summer Games – sports now have more opportunities to get on the program.

As the recommendations were adopted, IOC president Thomas Bach described it as "a major step forward in the modernization of the Olympic Games, and we all know how difficult it is to deal with the program."

Canadian IOC member Richard Pound said it was a "major breakthrough."

"We were at dead-end situation" with the limit on 28 sports. He said the changes "provide the flexibility we need."

World Baseball Softball Confederation president Riccardo Fraccari said in a statement that the WBSC "stands ready to support and assist the Olympic Movement in implementing the reforms, wherever baseball and softball can help."

Fraccari said that the WBSC would wait for guidance and direction from the IOC and the Tokyo 2020 organizers to determine how the new reforms could involve baseball and softball.

He said the new, more flexible approach to Olympic sport approved by the IOC Session "provided a massive boost of optimism and hope that the changes could result in baseball and softball joining the Olympic Games sports program."

"It’s like when the manager calls you off the bench to pick up the bat and warm up, and the bases are loaded," Fraccari said. "All you want to do is swing for the fences!"

Fraccari said the WBSC had devised a new shorter and more compact format for Olympic baseball and softball, which included the use of a shared and existing competition venue to ensure baseball and softball events were sustainable and affordable and left positive sporting legacies.

World Squash Federation president N. Ramachandran tells Around the Rings that the IOC changes mean opportunity for a sport that has tried three times to join the summer program.

"I think it has opened the door a little wider. We have to follow-up with the IOC. After the Rio 2016 Olympics IOC will do review of all sports

"We plan to have discussions with the sports department of the IOC to see how best we can take this forward.

"We have already spoken to the Japanese federation. I am meeting up with the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee in the new year. I will go to Tokyo requesting them for support for squash for 2020. I think they are willing to let me come and make a presentation, so it is a start."

Franco Carraro, who headed the IOC working group to restructure the Olympic program, said a review of the Olympic events was necessary before any could be added or removed. For Rio 2016, these decisions would be made in 2017.

Bach intervened to clarify that an organizing committee would have to present a financial and organizational model to the IOC Executive Board and in special cases the number of athletes could go beyond the 10,500 athletes quota.

However, the IOC Session is the decision-making body to bring in any new sports. For Tokyo 2020, decisions are possible at the Session next July.

Carraro said the Session "can improve [the number of sports] to 29 or 30 but not going beyond 310 events in competition."

Squash chief Ramachandran recognizes that baseball-softball is favored to join the Tokyo Games, but sees no reason for not including another one or two sports.

"Why not? I will keep my fingers crossed," he said.

In presenting the reform recommendations, Carraro also spoke about the IOC commitment to fostering gender equality to achieve 50 percent female participation in the Olympics and to stimulate women’s participation and involvement in sport by creating more events for them to take part at the Games.

Also passed with little debate Monday was a package of measures to reduce the cost and reinforce the flexibility of Olympic Games management and to maximize cooperation with Olympic Movement stakeholders.

Written and reported by Mark Bissonin Monte Carlo

20 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics is AroundTheRings.com, for subscribers only.