In a lengthy, comprehensive and thoughtful report, the International
Olympic Committee's new Programme Commission has carefully and clearly stated
which sports are eligible for future consideration in the Olympic Games Medal
Programme, which are not ineligible, what its timetable is, and what criteria it
will use to admit a sport to the Programme of the Summer Games.
The IOC has given the Green Light to DanceSport in the Olympic Games.
The Commission carefully says that this report is only proposals and
recommendations, which must be debated further this year and probably next year
as well (the Mexico City and Prague meetings) and eventually approved or
disapproved by the IOC. But there is no doubt that this report is authoritative,
and the sports world can expect much of it to be adopted.
The 2004 Athens Games will be unchanged, but the 2008 Games in Beijing will
now likely lose a considerable number of sports and events, and gain a few
others. The Commission says the IOC should end consideration of numerous sports
and a broad spectrum of different activities.
But DanceSport is one of 10 sports which survived the Commission's scrutiny
and radical cuts.
These sports are not recommended for admission to the 2008 Beijing Games
but are now clearly defined as eligible for future Olympic Games as long as they
can add value in terms of participation and media coverage.
Those two challenges are not a problem for DanceSport.
The full story is found at the IOC's official web site at: http://www.olympic.org/uk/news/index_uk.asp,
click on "Review of the Olympic Programme and the Recommendations on the
Programme of the XXIX Games of the Olympiad, Beijing 2008".
For DanceSport, the key sections of the Review are 1, 2.1 and 3.3.3.
The Review generally says that past acceptance of a sport is no longer
enough, and that the Olympics should be governed by a modern management culture
of accountability, goals and adding value to the Games and to the Olympic
movement generally.
In the Review, the Commission highlights a few themes:
-- the Summer Games should not grow beyond about 10,500 athletes and about
300 events
-- changes to the Olympic Programme should only occur if they add "an
increased value and appeal [to] the Olympic Games"
-- "similar events . . . and large numbers of events for the same athletes
should be avoided"
-- "to be considered for admission . . . a sport must show a direct
emphasis on youth and development"
-- the IOC should add value to the Games by change, and "allow access to
the Olympic Games for different athletes and sports"
-- sports with venues that are expensive to build or require a large area,
will be avoided
-- "mind sports" and sports with regional rather than global participation
will not be accepted
