Sports for 2016 -- IOC Program Commission Hears Pitches for Inclusion

(ATR) International Baseball Federation (IBAF) President Harvey Schiller said he was satisfied with his delegation's presentation to the commission. "I think everyone was smiling," he told reporters after the presentation. IBAF Secretary General John Ostermeyer told ATR he felt "very comfortable with the way we performed" and the reaction from the panel was positive.

"We talked about everything from the economic value of baseball to youth participation and the relevance of the game to today’s young people," Schiller commented.

Baseball's pitch also highlighted the sport's global appeal and how the federation has had the opportunity to work with the four candidate cities bidding for the 2016 Olympics -- Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo. "All four have strong baseball proposals," Schiller said.

Schiller said the commission did not pose any awkward questions, adding that baseball had "attacked" the areas of concern pinpointed by the IOC since it was dropped from the Olympic program in 2005. Increased media coverage worldwide and use of new media platforms to widen the sport’s appeal are among the improvements made.

Perhaps the most significant message in the presentation was baseball's commitment to bring its best players to play in the Olympics.

Ostermeyer told ATR the Olympics was an "evolutionary process" and baseball had to respond to the new demands and "upgrade the way we do our business if we want to be part of the Games.” “The biggest issue is 'will the best players be there' and we have the commitment from Major League Baseball that they will be."

MLB's Detroit Tigers CF Curtis Granderson, who is the league's international player liaison official, gave some insights to the commission on his experiences of international travel and the enthusiasm among the youth of the world for baseball. He said it would be "an honor and a privilege" to take part in an Olympics.

Ostermeyer said the lack of any proposal for women's baseball was not a factor against his sport gaining a spot on the Olympic program, adding that there may come a time when baseball and softball might have to team up to join the Olympics by offering events for men and women. "In some ways the solution is that baseball and softball combine," he said, noting the reluctance of softball to associate with baseball as softball looks to distance itself from baseball in its Olympic campaign.

Asked what might make the difference in the seven sports' campaigns to join the Olympics, Schiller identified the relevance to youth and global appeal.

Golf

The main thrust of golf's pitch to the commission was that the International Golf Federation (IGF) is speaking with one voice to the IOC, according to Ty Votaw, executive director of the International Golf Federation's Olympic Golf Committee.

"We have all the major golf organizations and leading players in the world working together to try and make the bid successful: one voice, top player support," said Votaw, adding that three films were shown in the presentation which included Tiger Woods and a host of other professional golfers.

Votaw said the presentation emphasized worldwide participation and diversity of our game that reflects the universality of the sport, the charitable and economic impact of our game and the commitment to the youth of the world through all the organizations involved in the IGF.

"We're all doing a lot of work to help develop our game which I know is very important for the Olympic Movement in order for its continued relevance and attraction around the world," he said.

He said that another salient fact in golf's pitch "that I think was favorably received" was that on a weekly basis the sport, played at the highest level, is televised in 216 countries into 500 million homes. Votaw said that golf's global reach, if it became an Olympic sport, was "very powerful for us."

Golf's leaders brought the 1904 Olympic trophy to their presentation and Votaw said the federation was conducting its campaign like the ethos and value system in golf, honoring the rules and respecting its competitors and let the results speak for themselves. "If we fall short we will know we did everything we could to make our case and if we are successful we'll be very pleased."

Peter Dawson, chief executive of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, said he felt the presentation had gone well: "I think we did as good a job as we could have done and we now await their deliberations."

The commission quizzed golf's leaders about player participation, scheduling and youth involvement, among others. "We were able answer them all effectively," he said.

Over the next 10 months of campaigning, Dawson said golf would "continue to ensure the message about golf strengths and values is broadcast as widely as possible within the Olympic Movement."

Dawson said golf's format for an Olympics would be aided by player consultation. He denied suggestions that the construction of venues needed to support golf at an Olympics was an obstacle to it joining the Olympics.

"One of the great things that golf has is that in the vast majority of Olympic cities, past and future, there are courses in existence that will be suitable for golf," he said. "We don't anticipate any high cost in terms of building the infrastructure necessary for the game. It will be like setting up golf tournaments which happens around the world every week of the year, so I think that’s one of the advantages we do have."

Karate

World Karate Federation President Antonio Espinos flew over from Tokyo, where the 19th World Karate Championships are under way, to present karate's case. He was the sole representative from the federation but Espinos said the commission did not perceive it as a lack of support for his sport's campaign to win a place in the Olympics.

"The world championships is our top event. I think that they understood it was a special situation with our federation. I was able to answer all the questions they were asking me," he said.

He said the strengths of karate's pitch were its universality around the globe. In a video clip, a member of the sport's athletes' commission added their support.

"Another strong point is that karate has social values that make it very important for the youth," said Espinos. Karate's social contribution was highlighted in the presentation. The five values are social integration; fairness and humility; physical and mental balance; rejection of violence and overcoming difficulties.

"The message that I was trying to transmit today, apart from some technical elements, is we want to become an Olympic sport to have increased resources to be able to spread the social and educational values of karate.

"The Olympic rings would be the best tool [for this]," he said, adding that while national karate federations in developed countries had the resources from funding institutions but in other nations and regions the non-Olympic sport receives "almost nothing."

"We want the social impact of karate to become bigger; this is the main priority for us to become an Olympic sport."

Espinos insisted karate had "a big chance" of fulfilling its goal, despite the tough competition provided by the other six sports: "We have everything to become an Olympic sport, we are universal and a very well-organized federation and we are developing and growing very fast."

The commission asked Espinos about the duration of bouts, how karate deals with protests and anti-doping issues as part of its questioning. He confirmed to the IOC panel that the format for the Olympics would be the same as for the world championship with gender equality key.

Roller sports

The International Federation for Roller Sports (FIRS) is putting its faith in the dynamism of its sport to win a place on the Olympic program.

"We have a young, dynamic and athletic sport. If the IOC want to open the door to young people and a new sport they have found the right one, the sport of the 21st century," Roberto Marotta, FIRS secretary general, told reporters.

Sabatino Aracu said the sport was popular among both genders and across all the continents.

Derek Parra, an Olympic champion in speed ice skating as well as former world champion in roller speed skating, said the sport had displayed in the past that it had "true athletes of Olympic caliber."

"The talent that is in the sport is definitely at the Olympic level. We just haven’t had the chance to showcase it on the Olympic stage. Hopefully with what we have presented today and some of our testimony we’re one step closer to the Olympic Games."

Marotta stated the strength of the FIRS pitch to the commission was that roller sports was not just a sport but a social movement. "You can see millions of people skating around the world," he said. "We are sure the commission has realized this feeling."

He added that the federation was open to the choice of staging roller sports on tracks built into velodromes or for road racing. "Our facilities don’t cost a lot," he said, adding that it was also a clean sport.

"We are ready to come in even with just the one competition, but we are sure that through television young people will be so excited in our sport that the IOC will ask for more competitions."

FIRS proposes five competitions in all, including two sprints – 500m and 1km – the 10km, 15km and the marathon. All races could be competed on both indoor tracks and road courses.

Parra said the delegation was in a positive mood following the presentation: "We're leaving here with a good feeling that we've given them something to seriously consider."

The IOC will announce a decision on the seven sports' status next year in Copenhagen, Denmark.

With reporting from Mark Bisson.