Does This Make It Easier for Roller Sports?

The IOC adopted new rules today that could make it easier for sports to gain entry into the Olympic Games. But don't expect to get "Up Close and Personal" with frisbee golf anytime soon.
While the new rules lower the bar for Olympic inclusion, they also take pains to protect the status quo.
Under the new rules, new sports can be added to the games with a simple majority vote. Previously, a two-thirds vote was required.
But the new rules also maintain the current limit of 28 sports for the Summer Games. In addition, they adopt a voting procedure that seems likely to leave the current roster of 26 sports largely unchanged.
Under the new rules, the IOC will vote every four years on a block of 25 (26 in 2009) sports for the summer games. The block will be based on the current roster of 26 sports. (One will be cut in 2013).
IOC President Jacques Rogge said core sports will only be removed for "exceptional reasons," such as mismanagement, corruption, refusal to comply with anti-doping rules or dramatic loss of popularity.
Once the IOC approves the core sports, it will decide on whether to add new sports, working from a short list proposed by the Executive Committee.
With only a simple majority required for inclusion, it seems likely that one or two new sports will be added to the 2016 Games. (The roster is already set for the 2008 and 2012 Summer Games.)
The five sports — golf, karate, rugby, squash and roller sports — that were rejected by the IOC in 2005 are all likely candidates. But the list probably won't stop there.
The Executive Committee has been looking for ways to reverse the aging of the Olympic audience, so don't be surprised if a youth-oriented sport, like skateboarding, becomes a strong contender.


IOC press release:

6 July 2007
Simplified voting process for the Olympic programme
The process of the choice of sports to be on the Olympic programme will be simplified in future following a decision taken today by the 119th IOC Session in Guatemala City, upon proposal of the IOC Executive Board (EB). Paragraphs in the Olympic Charter will be changed accordingly.

Most relevant changes
Until today’s change in the regulations, while it took only a simple majority for a sport to be removed from the programme, two-thirds was needed to add a new sport. The new rules simplify the voting procedure by requiring a simple majority for both inclusion and exclusion.

The number of core sports has been increased from 15 to 25 from the Games of 2020 onwards. For the 2016 Games of the Olympiad, the 26 core sports from London 2012 will be proposed. The maximum number of sports included in the programme remains capped at 28. In the future, the Session will cast a bloc vote for 25 core summer sports, proposed by the EB. These 25 core sports will need a simple majority to be included in the Olympic programme. If no majority is reached to vote for the core, additional rounds of votes by the Session, determined by the President, will be implemented.

IOC President Jacques Rogge told reporters that core spots could only be removed for "exceptional reasons," including mismanagement, corruption, refusal to comply with anti-doping rules or dramatic loss of popularity.

He complimented this new system for "providing a better flexibility to change the Olympic programme through the introduction of up to three new sports".

How this will work for the Olympic Winter Games
Seven core sports will be included in the programme for the Olympic Winter Games. The voting procedure by the Session for these seven winter sports is the same as for the summer sports. Today, the Session applied the bloc vote for the first time and voted for the seven core sports to be on the 2014 Olympic Winter Games, of which Sochi was elected as host city two days ago.

Consultation of stakeholders
Today's changes come after a long journey of evaluation and consultation, dating back to just after the Athens 2004 Olympic Games. Time was taken to ensure thorough consultation with the International Federations (IFs), National Olympic Committees (NOCs), Recognised Federations and the Athletes’ Commission before proposals for change were put first to the IOC Executive Board and then subsequently, today, to the Session.

In 2005 in Singapore, the IOC voted two sports, softball and baseball, off of the roster for the 2010 Olympic Games. Softball missing out by one vote and baseball by three votes.

After baseball and softball were voted out, the IOC rejected all five sports hoping to get into the games - squash, karate, rugby, golf and roller sports. All failed to get a two-thirds majority.