Dear friends of rollersports.org, today the IOC Executive Board presented the two sports that will be proposed for the inclusion in the Olympic Programme after 2016: rugby seven and golf have been selected as new disciplines and roller sports has been rejected.

Unfortunately, in this decision, economic values prevailed on sport values. It is well known that rugby and golf have better economic chances and television coverage. Perhaps this is the reason that why the IOC decision is not totally unexpected and it is been time that there were rumours about this possible conclusion.

It is since 2005 that we have assigned all our relational and economical resources to promote our disciplines to the sport world and to the international media.

We have done all our best to give roller sports the place they deserve in the Olympic world. Our presentations were also completed by a constant relational action with IOC members to show them that our sport is dynamic and spectacular: That it is a young sport and that young people like it. But all this was not enough!

We carried out our bid in the best possible way and the presentations we made, in front of the IOC Sport Commission first and the Executive Board then, have been considered emotional and persuasive.

However, the job we have made till now is not vain : we have obtained the Olympic world and media attention and, at the end , roller sports are recognized as a sport with a high athletic potential and huge appeal.

We must keep on working on this way. And we must keep on fighting to let our disciplines obtain what they deserve: to join the Olympics.

A huge sport hug

Sabatino Aracu

FIRS President