TOKYO: Softball and baseball are the big winners from the 40 reforms announced by the International Olympic Committee in Monaco.

With the IOC voting unanimously to allow more sports on the Olympic program the organising committee for Tokyo 2020 will almost certainly ask the IOC to include softball and baseball in their Games.

Both sports are hugely popular in Japan.

Baseball and softball were dumped after Beijing 2008. At that point Australia had won a medal in every Olympic softball competition since Atlanta 1996.

And our baseball team won a silver medal in Athens in 2004.

The jostling for places on the Olympic program begins in earnest now with squash, surfing and skateboarding three of the front-runners.

Under the new rules, the number of events at the Games will grow from 302 in London to 310.

Also there is a strong possibility some traditional sports will lose events which will be replaced by events more attractive to young fans.

Women are also big winners.

With the IOC committed to gender equality, 50/50 participation, some men’s events will have to go in favour of more women’s events.

The other major reform adopted by the IOC is designed to make bidding for the Games much cheaper and allow smaller nations to again be part of the process. Under exceptional circumstances the IOC agreed two cities, or two countries, could host the games. The use of existing venues in those cities would cut costs and not force host cities to build new facilities. There was also overwhelming support for a new 24 hour Olympic television channel which could begin transmission next year. Mike Tancred at the IOC Session AOC