29 April 2005	Friday	19 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1426

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PARIS, April 28: A bitter split between IOC president Jacques Rogge and leaders of the 28 summer Olympic sports threatens to turn into open warfare at the July IOC Session in Singapore.

So strong are the feelings that ASOIF - the body representing the summer Games sports - has called an extraordinary general assembley in Geneva on June 7.

The summit meeting was called after members of ASOIF revolted over Rogge’s recently announced plan to force all 28 Olympic sports to face a vote at the IOC Session in Singapore to confirm they will be part of the 2012 Olympics.

If they are to be on the programme in 2012, they have to win 51 per cent support from the IOC members.

Amongst the sports demanding the extraordinary general assembly were cycling, gymnastics, weigthlifting, modern penthalon, softball, hockey and weightlifting.

FIFA, football’s governing world body, is also reported to be furious about the ‘Rogge plan’.

“I have never seen such anger directed against Rogge. He is trying to split the 28 federations and have them fight against each other,” said one IF president who wanted to remain annonymous until the emergency general assembly takes place.

“We will not allow this to happen. Rogge does not seem to realise that you can have an Olympics without the National Olympic Committees but you cannot have an Olympics without the International Federations.

“Now he wants us to be like 28 bidding cities, lobbying IOC members to get their vote.” he added.

The host of the 2012 Games tops the agenda at Singapore. Paris, New York, London, Madrid and Moscow are all vying for the Olympics.

Another president, referring to Rogge’s previous career as a surgeon, insisted: “This is another case of an orthopedic surgeon operating without an anesthetic.”

Three years ago a failed attempt was made to throw softball, baseball and modern penthalon out of the Olympics during the IOC’s Mexico Session.

The three sports became aware that newly-crowned IOC president Rogge wanted to see them replaced when letters were slipped under their hotel door during a meeting of the summer Olympic sports informing them a proposal was being put forward in Mexico for their exclusion.

A ferocious campaign was launched by the three sports to save their Olympic future and such was the opposition from the rank and file members of the IOC that Rogge and the executive board were forced to retract the plan.

Now Rogge hopes that by having all 28 sports having to seek re-election, he stands a better chance of having some rejected by the IOC membership, allowing him to bring new sports into the Games.

Rogge insists there must be no increase in the number of sports in the Summer Games - 28 - and that if a new sport is to come in one must be thrown out.

Rugby, squash, golf, karate and roller sports are first in line if a new sport is to be included in the 2012 programme.

“Basically Rogge and the IOC’s executive board have decided there is no sports programme for the 2012 Games until the IOC votes in sports in Singapore. Where do they get that authority from?” asked one IF president.

“We are not going to back down on this,” he added.— AFP