DECLARATION of the Council of the Association of IOC Recognized International Sports Federations regarding a possible revote on the exclusion of softball and baseball from the Olympic Games
17 November 2005
The Council of the Association of IOC Recognized International Sports Federations (ARISF) is surprised by the announcement that the IOC Session could reverse its earlier and final decision to exclude baseball and softball from the Program of the 2012 Olympic Games. The decision was made after a careful process initiated by the IOC Executive Board and fully supported by ARISF. In this process, a careful evaluation was made of all sports on the Olympic Program and five of the Recognized Sports, namely golf, karate, roller sports, rugby, and squash. Based on this evaluation, the IOC Session decided to remove baseball and softball from the program of the 2012 Olympic Games.
The ARISF Council has noted that the Program Commission's evaluation that was delivered to the Session by the IOC Executive Board has not been changed since the IOC Session in Singapore, and therefore any reconsideration of the status of baseball and softball would completely undermine the process initiated by the IOC Executive Board. A new vote on these sports, together with a vote on the Recognized Sports, should only be taken for the 2016 program, after a renewed evaluation of every sport on the program, which is due to take place after the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
ASOIF, the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations, had announced prior to the vote in Singapore that they would support the process of developing the Olympic Program after the Singapore Session, with a focus on the 2016 program. The ARISF Council therefore does not understand the justification for a recent declaration by ASOIF that they are supporting a possible revote for the 2012 Program.
RISF is ready at any time to discuss this issue with the IOC President and the Executive Board. In addition, it proposes to ASOIF – the organization representing the Olympic Program sports – that it joins the efforts initiated by the IOC and its Program Commission in truly developing the Olympic Program to represent the participation and interests of the youth of the world.