GreekChat.com Forums - Olympic Doping

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Originally Posted by PeppyGPhiB (Post 1705131)

I'm trying to figure out how trampoline is in the Olympics but rugby and karate aren't. Rugby is played (well!) throughout the world.

Trampoline is a discipline within gymnastics. It is regulated by the same international sports federation (FIG) that regulates artistic ("regular") gymnastics and rhythmic gymnastics. It joined FIG in 1999. Thus, it had a MUCH easier approval process and is not considered a "new Olympic sport" but at most a new discipline or event.

(For example, same with figure skating, speed skating, and short track speed skating - they are governed by the same federation. Same for swimming, diving, synchronized swimming and water polo - all the same sports federation.)

Per Wikipedia:

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The International Trampolining Federation became part of the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique in 1999. FIG is now the international governing body for the sport which is paired with Power tumbling as the skill sets overlap. International competitions are run under the rules of FIG. Individual national gymnastics organizations can make local variations to the rules in matters such as the compulsory and optional routines and number of rounds for national and local competitions.

As part of the agreement to merge FIT with FIG, individual trampolining was accepted into the Summer Olympic Games for 2000 as an additional gymnastic sport.

Incidentally, FIG also governs Acrobatic gymnastics (the partner gymnastics where the male partner throws the woman into the air and such) and Aerobic gymnastics.

Since rugby and karate have their own international governing organizations they would be considered entirely new Olympic sports (although I think rugby was in 1 or 2 previous Olympics) and thus have to go through a rigorous approval process that was not really the case for trampolining. Plus the IOC is concerned to limit the number of events to keep the games from being unwieldy. They have said they want to cap the games at 28 sports. The Beijing games had 28 sports and 38 disciplines. With baseball and softball gone, there is theoretically an opening for 2 more sports, although the IOC doesn't have to grant the spots to anyone.

Of course we should also consider that the IOC is infamous for ignoring its own decrees, so there's no real reason that they couldn't decide to have 29 sports at some point in the future.