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14/08/2009
OLYMPIC BID NEWS
Squash Olympic Dream Shattered
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Squash Olympic Dream Shattered
Squash has lost its battle for Olympic inclusion. The news came from the IOC
meeting in Berlin where golf and rugby sevens were announced as the two sports
that are to be put forward for ratification. While ratification is not
guaranteed, under new procedures it can be expected that they will be confirmed
when IOC delegates meet in Denmark in October.
Squash has fought a long battle for inclusion. In Singapore in 2005 it was one
of the two sports (along with karate) put forward after baseball and softball
where ejected from the games. Five ‘non-Olympic’ sports - roller sports, squash,
golf, karate and rugby sevens - had been studied by the Olympic Programme
Commission as part of its two-year analysis. From these five ’non-Olympic’
sports, the IOC members selected karate and squash as the two sports which could
potentially be chosen to join the Olympic programme for London 2012. For such a
selection to be endorsed, however, a two-thirds majority was needed. Ultimately,
neither squash nor karate obtained this majority.
This time squash was one of seven sports vying for a place. Squash as an
athletic sport with a clear scoring system (and no subjective judging required)
was thought to have a good chance. It ticked all the boxes but in the end it may
not have been regarded as being unable to add to the programme as much as golf
or rugby sevens. It was also struggling in terms of the resources it could put
into the campaign.
This rejection will be a bitter pill for the sport and for many who had
championed it’s inclusion. There will now be a period of reflection if not
recrimination. The campaign has absorbed much of the sports resources and
energy. A ‘plan B’ will be sought but it is not on the drawing board yet.
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