Reuters: Sports News: Heartbroken squash suffers rejection

Reuters: Sports News Reuters.com is your source for breaking news, business, financial and investing news, including personal finance and stocks. Reuters is the leading global provider of news, financial information and technology solutions to the world's media, financial institutions, businesses and individuals. // via fulltextrssfeed.com

The Ultimate Sports Fundraising Program This $27 online course teaches fundraising approaches specifically for sports programs. Learn to raise money like the nation's top programs. Sign up today. From our sponsors

Heartbroken squash suffers rejection Sep 8th 2013, 17:53 President of the World Squash Federation (WSF) Narayana Ramachandran (R) speaks during the presentation of squash to be included as an Olympic sport in Buenos Aires September 8, 2013. Credit: Reuters/Marcos Brindicci By Ossian Shine BUENOS AIRES | Sun Sep 8, 2013 1:53pm EDT BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - A decade of lobbying and dreams ended in heartache for the world of squash on Sunday when the International Olympic Committee rejected their bid for inclusion in the 2020 Games. Squash had been pitted against wrestling and a joint baseball and softball bid, at a vote in the Argentine capital. It had always appeared a mammoth task to oust the 3,000-year-old wrestling, a sport which had only found itself in this precarious position due to senior Olympic members linked with other sports protecting their Games status. Members have said it had never been the intention to eliminate wrestling from the program, with other sports seen more at risk including Modern Pentathlon and Taekwondo. In the vote, out of 95, wrestling polled an outright majority straight off with 49 votes, with baseball and softball polling 24 and squash earning 22 votes. World Squash Federation President N Ramachandran vowed to be back. "Today's decision is heartbreaking for the millions of squash players around the world," he said. "Particularly given the 10-year journey we have been on to join the Olympic Games sports program. "As the only new Olympic sport on today's shortlist, we believed squash offered something for the future and I still hope that our inclusion may still be possible. "We have much to offer the Olympic Movement and I am hopeful that today is not the end of our Olympic journey." Top-ranked woman Nicol David, prominent throughout the sport's bid, said she was disappointed, but proud of the effect the campaign has had. "What we've done over the last few years, with the campaign, has really made women's squash stronger and it's brought the whole squash community together in a huge way," the Malaysian said. "We've proven that we can be up there as an Olympic sport and the fact that we were shortlisted shows what a great sport we are. We need to use that and move forward." Wrestling is now assured a spot at both the 2020 and 2024 Games, while both squash and baseball/softball are free to bid again for 2024. Under current rules the number of sports at a Games is capped at 28. (Editing by Pritha Sarkar) Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions