The world of sport is changing. As we wrote yesterday, baseball-softball, cricket (T20), flag football, lacrosse (sixes) and squash are the five sports presented by the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee at the IOC Session which on Monday, in Mumbai, India, will vote on the entry of these additional disciplines into the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. These sports were proposed by the LA28 Organizing Committee, only for the ‘stars and stripes’ edition scheduled in 5 years, and were examined by the Commission for Olympic Program (OPC), which now has great power, before being presented to the Executive Board.
For baseball-softball, cricket and lacrosse it would be a return to the Olympic Games, while flag football and squash would make their Olympic debut in Los Angeles. “The choice of these five new sports – declared the president of the IOC, the German Thomas Bach – is in line with American sporting culture and will allow iconic American sports to be shown to the world, while bringing international sports to the United States. These disciplines will make the LA28 Olympic Games unique. Their inclusion will allow the Olympic Movement to engage new communities of athletes and fans in the United States and around the world.”
The selection of sports is the result of an in-depth process and analysis, based on evaluation criteria including gender equality. Consideration was given to utilizing existing facilities, engaging a wide range of sporting communities both in the United States and globally, and including some of the most popular sports in the United States and around the world. But there is no shadow of a doubt that business and the power of the big TV networks are also behind it. Not all sports offered by Los Angeles organizers are popular and widespread throughout the world. It really seems like a very American choice. Baseball-softball was at Tokyo 2020, it left the Paris 2024 Games and is returning to Los Angeles given that the Americans could win medals.
In recent years the IOC has greatly favored some urban sports that are popular with young people and on TV: skateboarding, surfing and climbing. It was a huge success. They will all be confirmed in a year, while the French will see the debut of breakdancing, another highly entertaining sport, while they have cut karate, and it is strange because they are strong in that discipline. Cricket has more than 2.5 billion fans all over the world, it moves a lot of money and Bach had leaned heavily in favor of India where it is the most followed discipline. Certain choices like lacrosse, however, are not very convincing. It’s right to be open to new things but without exaggerating. The Olympic Games are the Olympic Games, they must respect tradition with an eye to the future, but they must not resemble the Games without Frontiers (tug of the rope, hula hoop, etc.).
Thomas Bach has done excellent things in recent years, above all he managed the terrible Covid period with a firm hand. Now he has lost his luster, he has to give in to the business reasons of Los Angeles 2028, he is in dispute with the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), he has created endless (and not yet finished) problems with his hesitation on Russia in Paris 2024. His mandate is expiring even if there is a movement that is working towards a reconfirmation (but Sir Seb Coe would really like to run…). What will happen with the Brisbane 2032 Games? Which sports will leave and which will enter? What will the Australians advise? Will karate return? Certainly padel, bowls and other disciplines have been looking for their space for some time. The modern pentathlon is changing its face to survive, boxing must find stability among the various acronyms after the scandals, the burdens are shaking off (but it is not easy) doping with a new, finally serious governance.
2023-10-14 14:27:59
#Olympics #Games #Borders
