Baseball and Softball Struck Out
Golf and rugby union sevens could feature at London's Games after baseball and softball were axed from the 2012 programme.
The International Olympic Committee has voted baseball and softball out of the programme for the London Games in 2012.
Both failed to win a majority of votes in a ballot of IOC members in Singapore today, making them the first sports to be dropped from the Olympics since 1936, when polo was axed.
The door has now been opened for the likes of golf, squash, karate, rugby sevens and roller sports to take their place, with the IOC voting on their inclusion tomorrow.
Softball federation chief Don Porter said: "We didn't expect this at all. The discussions we have had all week led us to believe we were safe to assume the programme would remain unchanged for 2012.
"I don't want to say it's an anti-US thing, but they are two native American sports."
Baseball federation president Aldo Notari added: "The problem with baseball is that the best players are not going to the Olympics Games. But baseball is still in Beijing. It is still necessary to work for the future in 2016."
Both failed to win a majority of votes in a ballot of IOC members in Singapore today, making them the first sports to be dropped from the Olympics since 1936, when polo was axed.
The door has now been opened for the likes of golf, squash, karate, rugby sevens and roller sports to take their place, with the IOC voting on their inclusion tomorrow.
Softball federation chief Don Porter said: "We didn't expect this at all. The discussions we have had all week led us to believe we were safe to assume the programme would remain unchanged for 2012.
"I don't want to say it's an anti-US thing, but they are two native American sports."
Baseball federation president Aldo Notari added: "The problem with baseball is that the best players are not going to the Olympics Games. But baseball is still in Beijing. It is still necessary to work for the future in 2016."
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