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Rogge: no sports will be cut from Summer Olympics
IOC president Jacques Rogge reassured international federations Monday that it's unlikely any sports will be dropped from the Summer Olympics.
Some federations fear their sports could be in danger of being cut when the International Olympic Committee assembly finalizes theprogram in Singapore in July. "There should be no anxiety," Rogge said after ajoint meeting of the IOC executive board and the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations. "The process will be a totally fair process. Reading the report, I have only one conclusion. Wehave very strong federations, and strong federations should have nothing to fear." All sports contested in Athens last August, as well as the five hopefuls -- golf, rugby, squash, karate and roller sports -- have been assessed by the IOC's Program Commission. The report lists the various sports' strengths and weaknesses but does not recommend whether any sport should remain in or be dropped from the Games programme. Rogge repeatedly has said that no sport will beadded unless oneis dropped. The last sport eliminated from the Summer Olympics waspolo -- in 1936. In 2002, Rogge proposed that baseball, softballand modernpentathlon be dropped, and golf and rugby added. But IOC members resisted and no vote was taken. The current review does not apply to the 2008 Beijing Olympics,which will feature the same sports as Athens. Any changes would take place for the 2012 Olympics, whose host city will be picked by theIOC on July 6 in Singapore. Rogge said the IOC will notify the federations in the next weekor so what procedure will be used to decide on thesports program in Singapore. Under one proposal, each of the 28 sports would be put toa roll call vote. Rogge, meanwhile, ruled out raising the number of Olympic sportsabove the limit of 28. He said the cap was approved by the IOC in 2002 and is enshrined in the Olympic charter and host city contracts. "We do not want the games to become too big," Rogge said. "Ifyou go above the number of 28, you increase the demands on the organizing committee and cause saturation among the public. Therules are set. There is no way we can change that." Rogge also dismissed the possibility of moving some summer sports to the Winter Olympics, an idea raised by FIFA president Sepp Blatter. Under IOC rules, only sports practiced on snow or ice areincluded in the Winter Games. Rogge said the regulation protects the "identity" of the WinterOlympics. In addition, he said, adding summer sports would force winter organizers to build additional indoor arenas.
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