Letter: Rationalisation of Olympic sports

Sir: I trust that the newsworthy reactions of equestrians, pentathletes and fencers to the potential loss of Olympic status will not obscure the basic truths behind Dick Pound's comments.

There are several sports with extremely good claims to Olympic inclusion. Squash, for example, is played in 115 nations, by more than 15 million players, and has grown dramatically, worldwide, since 1960. President Samaranch says: 'The bus is full, someone must get off before another gets on.' Might not one of the ways to create space be for those sports with several disciplines, competed for in both individual and team formats, to be rationalised.

The case for modern sports, such as squash, to be part of the modern Olympics is strong. We can mount a world-class event with 32 men, 32 women and a handful of officials. But where are these 100 places to be found?

Yours faithfully,

TED WALLBUTTON

Executive Director

International Squash Rackets Federation

Hastings, Kent

5 August