(ATR) Leaders from squash and roller sports tell Around the Rings they want to sign up to the Baku 2015 Games.
N. Ramachandran, president of the World Squash Federation, told ATR onThursday that his sport is now in contact with the European Olympic Committees.
"Yes, we are. We have already written to them saying we want to be part of the European Games," he said.
The Indian squash leader admitted the move would boost WSF’s 2020 Olympic bid ambitions: "Most certainly."
International Roller Sports Federation secretary general Roberto Marotta said his federation is also interested in joining the European Games. But he claimed there was no contact as yet with EOC president Pat Hickey or Baku 2015 organizers.
"We would like to be part of this event. It would be great for us," Marotta told ATR.
The European Karate Federation told ATR it was in advanced talks with Baku 2015.
The trio would bring to 18 the number of sports on the program of the inaugural European Games.
Swimming and wrestling came aboard last week. In December, 13 European federations signed letters of intent to participate in Europe’s first continental Games.
Earlier this week, EOC chief Hickey told ATR that there had been an upsurge in interest from Olympic and non-Olympic sports who had previously expressed little enthusiasm for the European Games. He said that "five or six sports" were keen to ink agreements.
The IOC Executive Board’s plan to axe wrestling as one of the core 25 Olympic sports seems to have triggered a rethink among the seven sports vying for inclusion on the 2020 Olympic program.
With wrestling waging a high-powered global campaign to retain its Olympic status, joining the European Games is being seen as increasingly vital in the sports’ campaigns for the one 2020 slot available.
The EOC and Baku 2015 are set to unveil the Euro Games sports program at the end of April.
Reported by Mark Bisson
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