Events battling for their Olympic survival are bolstering their defences as officials prepare a radical shake-up of the Summer Games.
Over the next two days the Olympic future of disciplines including sailing, shooting, equestrianism, synchronised swimming and badminton mixed doubles will come under International Olympic Committee microscope -- and their governing bodies are taking the threat deadly seriously.
"We regard this as a very serious case and will fight it hard... and with anything we have got to keep mixed doubles in the Olympic Games," International Badminton Federation director of marketing Andrew Ryan told Reuters.
"At the highest level of all, mixed doubles is not an add-on. Players who are at the absolute top of the world in men's and women's doubles also compete in the mixed."
In sailing, the keelboat class is also under threat but the International Sailing Federation is adamant that the IOC opinion that keelboat events should be reduced due to the cost and complexity, is not justified.
The ISAF says removing keelboats from the Olympic programme would have a negative impact on the current events in the Paralympic Regatta and insist they must choose which, if any, medal sport is dropped.
Whatever the IOC decides is bound to be met with criticism, but IOC president Jacques Rogge's mandate is to limit the Games' size and scope.
NEW SPORTS
After decades of expansionism under former Olympic president Juan Antonio Samaranch, Belgian Rogge wants to keep costs down so that a majority of countries can afford to host an Olympics, keeping the Games truly global.
However, he also wants to add new sports -- including golf and rugby union sevens -- to the Games.
Something has to give.
Entire sports are safe until, at least, after the Athens Olympics after IOC members voted at their Session in November to put off a decision until after the 2004 Summer Games to throw out baseball, modern pentathlon and softball.
Emotional pleas from the leaders of those sports provided a stay of execution but now individual disciplines face the axe.
"We are very well aware that many sports depend for their future on the Olympic Games," Rogge said earlier this week. "This is a big factor but it should not always be a paralysing factor because we have to keep the Games interesting, especially for younger generations.
"We can't see the Games being static for too long," he warned.
"This is really the first time we have limited the expansion of the Games," Rogge said earlier this week. "What we are doing is revising the competitions."
But the IBF's Ryan said that axing badminton mixed doubles would do nothing to aid Rogge in his aim.
"If you are a world class men's doubles player or women's doubles player you are going to be at the Olympic Games anyway," he said.
"I don't have the figures to hand but we did some calculations on the number of beds you would save and it was absolutely minimal because the players would all be there anyway for the other disciplines."
