INTERNATIONAL DANCESPORT FEDERATION (IDSF)

Recognized by the IOC Member: GAISF, ARISF, IWGA

Avenue Mon Repos 24, C.P. 83, 1005 Lausanne 5 / Switzerland
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Press Release 13/2002

September 2nd, 2002

IOC: Green Light For DanceSport

In a lengthy, comprehensive and thoughtful report, the International Olympic Committee's new Programme Commission has carefully and clearly stated which sports are eligible for future consideration in the Olympic Games Medal Programme, which are not ineligible, what its timetable is, and what criteria it will use to admit a sport to the Programme of the Summer Games.

The IOC has given the Green Light to DanceSport in the Olympic Games.

The Commission carefully says that this report is only proposals and recommendations, which must be debated further this year and probably next year as well (the Mexico City and Prague meetings) and eventually approved or disapproved by the IOC. But there is no doubt that this report is authoritative, and the sports world can expect much of it to be adopted.

The 2004 Athens Games will be unchanged, but the 2008 Games in Beijing will now likely lose a considerable number of sports and events, and gain a few others. The Commission says the IOC should end consideration of numerous sports and a broad spectrum of different activities.

But DanceSport is one of 10 sports which survived the Commission's scrutiny and radical cuts.

These sports are not recommended for admission to the 2008 Beijing Games but are now clearly defined as eligible for future Olympic Games as long as they can add value in terms of participation and media coverage.

Those two challenges are not a problem for DanceSport.

The full story is found at the IOC's official web site at: http://www.olympic.org/uk/news/index_uk.asp, click on "Review of the Olympic Programme and the Recommendations on the Programme of the XXIX Games of the Olympiad, Beijing 2008".

For DanceSport, the key sections of the Review are 1, 2.1 and 3.3.3.

The Review generally says that past acceptance of a sport is no longer enough, and that the Olympics should be governed by a modern management culture of accountability, goals and adding value to the Games and to the Olympic movement generally.

In the Review, the Commission highlights a few themes:

-- the Summer Games should not grow beyond about 10,500 athletes and about 300 events

-- changes to the Olympic Programme should only occur if they add "an increased value and appeal [to] the Olympic Games"

-- "similar events . . . and large numbers of events for the same athletes should be avoided"

-- "to be considered for admission . . . a sport must show a direct emphasis on youth and development"

-- the IOC should add value to the Games by change, and "allow access to the Olympic Games for different athletes and sports"

-- sports with venues that are expensive to build or require a large area, will be avoided

-- "mind sports" and sports with regional rather than global participation will not be accepted

These new criteria give DanceSport clear and growing advantages. With big growth in participation amongst the youth of the world, a newly-enhanced IDSF Membership Commission that is reaching out enthusiastically to many new countries and a newly-strengthened Presidium; with no requirement for special construction or costly facilities; and with a dazzling program of television development -- IDSF can deliver what the IOC wants.

IDSF President Rudolf Baumann said today, "I am still optimistic regarding the inclusion of DanceSport in the summer Olympic Games, if not in 2008, then in 2012. He will discuss the whole matter with IOC President Dr. Jaques Rogge and the IOC Sports Director Mr. G. Felli, soon as part of the ongoing wholesale restructuring going on in the Olympic movement, and DanceSport's new, focussed pursuit of the goals the IOC has set.

The IOC has inaugurated a restructuring that cannot accommodate all changes at once, and that is a disappointment to many sports -- but not DanceSport. It has given DanceSport a green light. The proposals and recommendations in the Review clearly ratify DanceSport's ongoing application for inclusion in the Medal Programme of the Summer Olympic Games, asking DanceSport only to do things that we are already doing very well.

Johannes Biba
IDSF Communications Director

Kochgasse 9/16

A-1080 Vienna, Austria

Fax: ++43 1 402 80 73

www.idsf.net