With a View to 2020
The Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) made an official announcement of the eight sports shortlisted for a possible inclusion into the Olympic sports programme for the Games in 2020.
At its meeting ahead of the 123rd IOC Session in Durban, RSA, the board followed the suggestions of the Programme Commission and shortlisted again the five sports - baseball, karate, roller sports, softball, squash - that were considered already in the review of the programme for the Games in 2016. Golf and rugby sevens succeeded with their campaign then. Sport climbing, wakeboard and wushu are the newcomers on the list.
As the programme will be limited to a maximum of 28 sports in 2020, and as golf and rugby are slated for their second appearance after 2016, only one of the eight shortlisted sports can actually be added to the Games. Which one it will be is voted on by the 125th IOC Session in 2013.
All ARISF Member Federations with sports eligible to feature on the Olympic programme had submitted their questionnaires to the IOC Sports Department in May 2011. The eight sports on the shortlist will now have to prepare a complete candidate file for further evaluation.
The World DanceSport Federation, even though disappointed over the outcome of the programme review, will certainly continue to refine its "product" further over the coming years. The next review process starts in 2015. Reassured by IOC officials that the direction it had chosen for the development of its sport is indeed the appropriate one, WDSF will make every effort to demonstrate that it, too, can add significant value to the Olympic Games in 2024.
All but one (baseball) of the eight shortlisted sports feature in The World Games. In 2013 Cali, COL, DanceSport will be challenged to repeat its performance of 2009 Kaohsiung, TPE, where it generated more revenues from the gate and more television time than any of the other 30+ sports.
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