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.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) members refused to add any new sports to the Games programme on Friday. Their rejection of squash, karate, rugby sevens, golf and roller sports leaves the London 2012 programme with 26 sports after baseball and softball were axed.

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 programme.

"The new system we have in place, to review the Olympic programme after each Games, is designed to make sure the programme is attractive," Rogge said.

"Therefore, you need to be able to have the chance to vote new sports in."

In Friday's vote, sports already on the Olympic programme needed a simple majority of members' votes to remain on the programme for the 2012 Games.

Baseball and softball became the first sports to be axed from the Olympics since polo in 1936.

Meanwhile, Greece's Lambis Nikolaou and Japan's Chiharu Igaya were elected vice-presidents of the IOC yesterday.

They replaced Russia's Vitaly Smirnov whose four-year term had ended and South Korea's Un-yong Kim who has resigned from the IOC.