SINGAPORE, 10 July 2005 — The International Olympic Committee elected Lambis Nikolaou from Greece and Japan’s Chihary Igaya vice presidents yesterday at the conclusion of their five-day session.
Singapore’s IOC member Ser Miang Ng was elected to the 14-member executive board after Peru’s Ivan Dibos dropped out of the race.
A total of four vice presidents each serve four-year terms.
The IOC chose London on Wednesday to host the 2012 Games over Paris, New York, Madrid and Moscow. The series of bombings in London the next day cast a shadow over the remainder of the session.
Baseball and softball were ousted from the 2012 Games on Friday, but members have yet to replace the two vacant spots with other sports.
Neither squash nor karate were able to secure the necessary two-thirds majority in votes for a new sport, leaving only 26 sports instead of 28 to be contested at the 2012 Games.
“Don Orter, president of the International Softball Federation, said he did not think that there was a European domination in the voting.
“It’s just that the IOC wants to get some new sorts in, and the two sports that were ousted are more popular in America,” he added.
The main problem cited was the absence of US Major League stars. Professional players, who competed in the previous two Olympics, were from the minor leagues in the United States.
Five Rejected Sports Offered
Glimmer of Hope
The five sports denied a chance to feature in London’s 2012 Olympics were offered a glimmer of hope for inclusion in future Games yesterday.
IOC members refused to add any new sports to the Games program on Friday. Their rejection of squash, karate, rugby sevens, golf and roller sports leaves the London 2012 program with 26 sports after baseball and softball had been axed earlier in the day.
IOC President Jacques Rogge, closing the Singapore Session, said the five sports, along with baseball and softball, would be put to the vote again after the Beijing Games for inclusion on the 2016 program.
“The new system we have in place, to review the Olympic program after each Games, is designed to make sure the program is attractive,” Rogge said.
“Therefore, you need to be able to have the chance to vote new sports in.
“I think it would be fair if Olympic sports and non-Olympic sports were treated the same way in terms of the number of votes needed.”
Baseball and softball became the first sports to be axed from the Olympics since polo in 1936.
Rugby Sevens had been hopeful of getting included and had the backing of the London team who said the tournament could have been played at Twickenham or in the main Olympic stadium.
