After Atalanta

It's so lovely to find someone who agrees with you--especially on a cold, windy Friday morning as you feel a cold (but hopefully not the flu) coming on. The IOC has been making some changes to the summer games program, allegedly in the name of gender equity, that has a few puzzled. LA Times writer and blogger Philip Hersh is one of those and I agree with him--for the most part. The addition of mixed doubles to the roster seems a little silly. While I enjoy mixed doubles and seek it out when I am lucky enough to get to a tournament that actually has it (mostly the Grand Slams), it's another thing to include it in the Olympics where tennis should not be in the first place. Track cycling, with a much smaller international presence, has seen its events reduced--well the men's events anyway. The IOC, upon recommendations from the International Cycling Union (so it's difficult to know where exactly to lay blame), has dropped several events for men and added more for women. S...

If you have not gotten over Chicago's early-round loss on the Olympic site voting, well, in the words of Nike (who will certainly be a presence in Brazil) just do it. I, personally, was glad the US did not get another games so early on. And that South America (as in the whole continent!) has never had a hosting opportunity seemed wrong. I have to admit, though, that I was a little concerned about potential human rights issues, primarily the ousting of poor people from their homes to make way for various Olympic venues. But it's not as if every country has and has had in the past it's issues with human rights. This is why Human Rights Watch has asked the IOC to find a way to monitor the potential abuses of host nations. These issues arose, of course, in Beijing. They are anticipated on Sochi and, well, as I said--no country is acting angelic these days. (Perhaps ever, but that's a discussion for another time.)

From all accounts the IOC will vote on Thursday as to which two sports will be considered for admissions to the 2016 Olympics. And according to the NYT the top contenders do not include softball. Based on nothing concrete as far as I can tell rugby and golf are the favorites right now. This is disappointing. I am all for rugby getting in but golf should not be an Olympic sport. As some article (can't find it now) pointed out two of the organizations behind golf's bid are all-male golf clubs--one of which is Augusta National (the other is in great Britain). Not a great way for the IOC to prove its alleged commitment to gender equity. I had thought softball was doing a pretty decent job arguing its case and not showing any bitterness over apparently being booted out in the first place over a misunderstanding. Of course the misunderstanding itself was likely because so many IOC members are men who have no clue what softball--marked as a women's sport--really is. Anyway back to...

As I mentioned, softball made its bid this week for a (re)berth in the Olympics. But six other sports did the same: baseball, golf (Annika Sorenstam was part of that presentation), karate, roller sports, rugby, and squash. (Remember, women's boxing may be making its Olympic debut, but in 2012, because it is not considered a new sport because men's boxing already is in.) ESPN has a brief synopsis of each of the sports that made presentations to the IOC last week. PS According to Jessica Mendoza's Twitter page, the IOC was "wowed"--their words--by softball's presentation.

So it turns out I was not the only one who was a little concerned about Donna Lopiano's new position as head of the Women's Baseball Committee for the International Baseball Federation. She told me last night (well me and the rest of the audience at her talk) that Sue Enquist (former UCLA softball coach) and sports writer Christine Brennan had called her up, a little incredulous themselves. Their worries were slightly different: that Lopiano was going to be hurting softball's chances of getting back into the Olympics. But she's pretty confident that that's not likely to happen. There's no way women's baseball can grow quickly enough to be viable for the 2016 Olympics. Her acceptance of the position made sense, especially after I was reminded of her story of her Little League baseball experience: she was "drafted" first in tryouts as a pitcher and was told she could not play because Little League rules banned girls. So her goal is to bring baseball ...

Softball and baseball both got voted off the Olympic roster at the same time and since that time both have been trying to get back in. Of course they need to overcome whatever (somewhat ambiguous depending on the account) issues the IOC had with them in the first place. They also need to compete with other sports vying to join an already packed list of summer sports. The two sports had been pursuing separate bids, trying to earn the only two spots available for the 2016 games. But now the baseball federation has called up the softball federation asking them to consider a joint bid . Hmmm...why do the boys need the girls all of a sudden? Baseball clearly thinks it will have a better chance of getting back in if it rides softball's coat tails back into the games. Must think it has an image problem. Wonder why. Softball seems a little wary. But it will be meeting with the baseball peeps to hear what they have to say. We'll have to wait to see what softball says back.

Yesterday, seven sports made their cases to an IOC committee about why they should be included in the 2016 Olympics. Softball and baseball, of course, were two of the seven, making separate arguments to the program commission which is comprised of 16 IOC members. Long day for the commission with each sport making a one-hour pitch. Also pleading for inclusion: golf (we know how I feel about that); karate (still surprised it isn't in already); rugby (I'm in support--far more supportive of it than baseball certainly); roller sports (not really sure what this would look like and am doubtful they have garnered enough support to get it over the other high-profile sports); and squash (ambivalent). In June the commission will issue its recommendations and the full 100-member IOC board will vote next year at a meeting in Coopenhagen.

The International Softball Federation has launched a new campaign targeted at reinstating softball in the 2016 Olympics. In response to the concern that softball is not a truly international sport, ISF is encouraging the creation of new national softball federations, hoping to have 150 by 2009. Other goals include increasing television coverage, enhancing and growing opportunities for youths, and providing equipment and coaching to programs in need. I was most impressed, though, by the plan to grow opportunities for people with disabilities. I think this population could have easily been overlooked by the ISF in its attempt to get able-bodied softball back on the Olympic program.