A
28-sport cap has been dropped for future Olympic Games as part of a 40-point
action plan to revamp the sporting showpiece.
Potential
hosts will also find it easier and cheaper to bid under the "Olympic
Agenda 2020" reforms.
The
changes are being voted on by the International Olympic Committee over two days at a meeting in Monaco.
The
IOC has also agreed to allow future events to be held outside the host country
or city.
The
dropping of a 28-sport limit will see the Games instead restricted to 10,500
athletes and 310 events.
The
event-based focus could allow more sports to join the Olympic programme, the
IOC meeting was told.
"This
movement to an event-based programme will offer more flexibility," IOC
member Franco Carraro said.
The
changes mean sports such as baseball/softball and squash, which have previously
not been added to the Olympic programme, could be part of future Games.
However,
that would require an existing Olympic sport, which enjoys multiple
competitions, to reduce the number of its events.
Reacting
to the announcement, World Squash Federation (WSF) president Narayana
Ramachandran said: "I have always said that my task has been to keep
pushing at the Olympic Games Programme door for Squash. Now that I can see that
a little light is coming through at the edges I am delighted of course.
"However,
we cannot get ahead of ourselves. We simply remain hopeful that the changes
will take us forward onto the next stage of our dream being realized at the
earliest opportunity."
The
2022 Winter Games campaign saw four of six candidates drop out of the bidding process over financial
concerns.
Potential
hosts will now get extra financial support and be allowed to stage some Olympic
events in other cities, and even countries - opening up the prospect of joint
bids.
News Credit: BBC Sport
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