Sports' hopes to get into London 2012 suffer blow

Softball and baseball's hopes of returning as Olympic sports at the 2012 Games suffered a blow when it was revealed the topic was not even on the agenda for discussion by IOC members.

The sports' only hope for re-admission to the London 2012 programme after being axed from the Olympic list last year is if IOC members vote them back on at their Session in Turin next week.

However, IOC director of communications Giselle Davies said on Sunday that the re-admission of baseball and softball was not on the agenda for discussion when the members meet.

The two sports were dropped from the programme in a controversial vote at the International Olympic Committee's July 2005 Session in Singapore to become the first sports to be cut from the Games since polo in 1936.

All 28 sports on the programme of the 2004 Athens Olympics were put to the vote in Singapore and each had needed a simple majority to remain on the schedule.

Under the IOC's charter, that decision taken in Singapore by the Session cannot be overturned by the decision-making body of the IOC, the Executive Board.

However, if one third of IOC members were in agreement they could still introduce a motion at next week's Session.

That motion would have to be accepted by half the members present and there would then be a new vote to admit the sports to the Games programme.

Unless the IOC is prepared to perform a dramatic U-turn on the programme, London will stage a reduced Olympic Games in 2012.

London's showpiece will feature 26 sports rather than 28. The last Olympics to be staged with 26 sports was Atlanta in 1996.

The minimum number required for a Games is 15.