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Many sports not represented at Olympics
Source: www.olympic.org.
Athletes from around the world will compete in 28 sports. The International Olympic Committee also recognizes another 30 sports, although they are not full-fledged medal sports. Many people who participate in these sports strive to gain admission to the Olympics someday.
"We've been trying for more than two decades to get in," said Mark Miller, communications director for USA Bowling.
Miller said he believes bowling deserves to be added to the Olympics because it is played by more than 100 million people in more than 100 countries. He also said bowling appeals to participants "age 3 to 103" and does not rely on subjective ways of scoring or specific weather conditions.
To qualify as an Olympic sport, an activity must be "widely practiced by men in at least 75 countries and on four continents, and by women in at least 40 countries and on three continents," according to Olympics officials.
Bowling was an exhibition sport during the 1988 summer games in Seoul. Water skiing also was included as an exhibition Olympic sport in the 1970s, according to Steve McDermeit, executive director for USA Water Ski.
McDermeit said water skiing has been trying to gain admission to the games for about 30 years and athletes participate in the Pan American Games every four years as a stepping stone to the Olympics.
"If the Olympics happen to go to New York (in 2012), we would love to be included," McDermeit said.
McDermeit said water skiing has a broad recreational base and appeals to spectators. In addition, speed control systems have been added to water ski boats to eliminate potential human error in competitions.
The immediate future, however, does not look good for aspiring Olympic sports.
"Basically, what the IOC said is that the Olympics are full," Miller said. "Right now, nothing is being added or subtracted."
Bill Goichberg, executive director of the U.S. Chess Federation, said efforts were made in the past for chess to join the Olympics but he has mixed feelings about it. Goichberg worried that chess players would have to undergo needless drug tests as Olympic athletes, but he acknowledged that joining the games could result in positive publicity for chess.
"I think maybe the best thing would be if there was a separate mind sports Olympics," he said.
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