Every sport out there wants to bear some sort of Olympic status, including roller sports. Before any sport can become an Olympic sport, it must pass a series of rules, practices, and activities that adhere to the Olympic Charter.
Federation Internationale de Roller Sports (FIRS) attempted to become Olympic status in 2000, when inline speed skating was promoted as the best roller-sport for the Olympics. However, 20 other sports were also in the entry. 2000 was also a year the Olympics decided they wanted to cut down the number of sports, so chances of roller-sports making their way onto the official Olympics sports list was very slim.
Because there were such a limited number of sports joining the official Olympic sports list, many inline speed skaters have switched from inline to ice speed skating. Following the 2012 London Olympics, roller sports has once again joined the battle for two spots open in the 2016 Olympics. Competitors included golf, squash, karate and rugby. Presentations of sports were received during Fall 2009 International Olympic Committee meeting where golf and rugby were selected as the new sports.
The FIRS hasn’t given up yet – in 2013 they will be competing for a spot in the 2020 Olympics.
