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IOC mulls changes to cycling, tennis
Source: Agencies |
December 10, 2009, Thursday
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ELIMINATION of endurance events in track cycling and inclusion of mixed doubles in tennis are up for consideration this week by the International Olympic Committee.
At a two-day meeting, the IOC executive board will make final rulings on requests by sports federations for the addition or removal of disciplines and events for the 2012 London Games.
Most contentious are the proposed changes in cycling, notably the dropping of the individual pursuit race.
The sports proposals are among the top items for a meeting that will also see the IOC reallocate two of the three individual medals stripped from Marion Jones for doping at the 2000 Sydney Games but withhold the 100-meter gold from disgraced Greek sprinter Katerina Thanou.
Jones' 200m gold is set to go to Pauline Davis-Thompson of the Bahamas, and her long jump bronze to Russia's Tatyana Kotova.
But the 100m prize will not be awarded to Thanou because she missed drug tests on the eve of the 2004 Athens Games.
Cycling had seven track events for men and three for women at the 2008 Beijing Games. Cycling's world governing body, the UCI, is expected to propose five events for men and five for women as part of a gender parity plan. The events are believed to be individual sprint, team sprint, keirin, team pursuit and the five-race omnium event.
Under that plan, five endurance races - in men's and women's individual pursuit and points races, plus the men's madison - would be dropped. Dozens of current and former cyclists have spoken out against the elimination of the individual pursuit, one of the iconic events of the sport. An online petition with more than 4,000 signatures was sent to the IOC on Monday.
Britain's Bradley Wiggins, a two-time Olympic individual pursuit gold medalist, has said dropping the event could kill off endurance cycling.
"It fits with the most basic Olympic ideals, 'the highest, the fastest, the strongest, the furthest,'" said 1992 Olympic pursuit gold medalist Chris Boardman of Britain.
The International Tennis Federation, meanwhile, is proposing mixed doubles events for London. Tennis already has men's and women's singles and doubles events in the Olympics. The IOC wants guarantees that top players in singles would be able to participate in mixed doubles.
Top players rarely play doubles or mixed doubles. The IOC is unlikely to approve mixed doubles unless it is convinced the event will have a world-class field.
At a two-day meeting, the IOC executive board will make final rulings on requests by sports federations for the addition or removal of disciplines and events for the 2012 London Games.
Most contentious are the proposed changes in cycling, notably the dropping of the individual pursuit race.
The sports proposals are among the top items for a meeting that will also see the IOC reallocate two of the three individual medals stripped from Marion Jones for doping at the 2000 Sydney Games but withhold the 100-meter gold from disgraced Greek sprinter Katerina Thanou.
Jones' 200m gold is set to go to Pauline Davis-Thompson of the Bahamas, and her long jump bronze to Russia's Tatyana Kotova.
But the 100m prize will not be awarded to Thanou because she missed drug tests on the eve of the 2004 Athens Games.
Cycling had seven track events for men and three for women at the 2008 Beijing Games. Cycling's world governing body, the UCI, is expected to propose five events for men and five for women as part of a gender parity plan. The events are believed to be individual sprint, team sprint, keirin, team pursuit and the five-race omnium event.
Under that plan, five endurance races - in men's and women's individual pursuit and points races, plus the men's madison - would be dropped. Dozens of current and former cyclists have spoken out against the elimination of the individual pursuit, one of the iconic events of the sport. An online petition with more than 4,000 signatures was sent to the IOC on Monday.
Britain's Bradley Wiggins, a two-time Olympic individual pursuit gold medalist, has said dropping the event could kill off endurance cycling.
"It fits with the most basic Olympic ideals, 'the highest, the fastest, the strongest, the furthest,'" said 1992 Olympic pursuit gold medalist Chris Boardman of Britain.
The International Tennis Federation, meanwhile, is proposing mixed doubles events for London. Tennis already has men's and women's singles and doubles events in the Olympics. The IOC wants guarantees that top players in singles would be able to participate in mixed doubles.
Top players rarely play doubles or mixed doubles. The IOC is unlikely to approve mixed doubles unless it is convinced the event will have a world-class field.
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