Opinion IOC makes a mess of it
IOC spent its time kicking out one sport,fixing it and ultimately bringing it back while blocking the entry of all others
Theres a certain madness about the manner in which the International Olympic Committee (IOC) operates. In February,its all-powerful executive board decided to drop wrestling from the list of core Olympic sports. On Sunday afternoon in Buenos Aires,the IOC members reinstated wrestling in the Olympic programme,severely undermining the decision taken by its most important and influential committee.
In the last seven months,the IOC spent its time kicking out one sport,fixing it and ultimately bringing it back while blocking the entry of all others. So you can pardon squash and baseball-softball officials,who have spent millions in campaigning and lobbying,for feeling that the entire process was a waste of time and resources.
In fact,squash and baseball-softballs fate appeared sealed well before the eventual vote,especially after wrestling received backing from the influential Kuwaiti Sheikh Ahmad al-Fahad al-Sabah,who is perceived to be a dominant force as head of the Association of National Olympic Committees.
However,after bearing the brunt of the sporting world for excluding wrestling,the IOC now faces a fierce backlash from within for reinstating it. Dick Pound,IOC member from Canada,admitted that a lot of energy was wasted in a process that was pretty well doomed. This doesnt happen in the IOC too often,but that vote is to tell the executive committee: you made a mess of this and were going to fix the mess and weve got to figure out another way forward, he said.
And the way forward gives the ignored sports reasons to remain optimistic. Many observers predict that the new president,to be elected on Tuesday,might choose to eliminate some events and disciplines in existing sports to make room for new sports.
That could yet open doors for squash,baseball-softball and other sports. There are calls to accommodate more than 25 sports in the core sports category to refresh the Olympic programme.
Whether the new administration will introduce these changes is something that will be keenly observed.
Mihir is a senior correspondent based in Mumbai
mihir.vasavda@expressindia.com
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