The IOC has adopted more flexible rules to add new Olympic sports giving renewed hope to sports on the waiting list including Rugby, Golf, Karate, Squash and Roller Sports.

The IOC session in Guatemala introduced a revolutionary system of 25 core sports with three “floating” sports at the Olympics from 2020.

But all sports would be up for review after each Olympics.

The IOC members would drop or include new sports by a simple majority vote. Up until today the IOC rules required a 2/3’s majority before changes could be made.

The IOC President Jacques Rogge said the old rule was “not satisfactory” and the change would lead to a “consistent and coherent program”.

There are currently 28 sports on the program for the Beijing Games next year.

In 2005 the IOC voted to drop Baseball and Softball from the program after 2008.

A push to include Karate, Squash, Roller Sports, Rugby and Golf failed because none of the contenders achieved the 2/3’s majority vote.

This decision left the London 2012 Games with only 26 sports on the program. Baseball and Softball are campaigning to get back on the program at the 2016 Olympics along with the other five sports in the running.

Sports that are attractive to young people are certainly on the IOC radar.

BMX will debut in Beijing and Snowboard Cross and Skier Cross are now part of the Winter Olympics. There are moves to include Skateboarding at the London Olympics.

Skateboarding could be fast-tracked if they compete as a cycling discipline and not as a new sport.

“There would need to be exceptional circumstances for a core sport to be dropped from the program,” Rogge said.

A drug scandal, corruption or a massive drop in popularity could lead to a sport being axed. The IOC members agreed the same voting principles would apply to Winter sports in the future.

Mike Tancred in Guatemala
AOC