OWN CORRESPONDENT, Kuala Lumpur | Tuesday 11.00pm.
THE Commonwealth Games general assembly decided on Tuesday to limit the number of participating sports in future meetings to 14.
The limit has been forced on officials as they struggle to compete against an ever growing international sports calendar.
Other changes decided at the federation’s general assembly include having a minimum of two and a maximum of four team sports, and working for a better gender balance by increasing the profile of women’s sports.
The Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games, which begin on Friday, are the largest ever with 6000 athletes and officials involved in 16 sports.
“One has to ensure the Games size does not get out of hand,” Commonwealth Games federation chairman Mike Fennell said after the closed-door assembly meeting.
The changes will take effect after the 2002 Games in Manchester. Host cities after Manchester will be restricted to athletics and swimming as compulsory sports, and up to eight other individual sports and a maximum of four team sports.
* Hugo Olivier on Tuesday became the first South African to be named as a Commonwealth Games Federation official, SA Commonwealth Games Association chairman Mthobi Tyamzashe said in Kuala Lumpur. Olivier, the SACGA secretary-general, was elected unopposed to the CGF finance sub-committee at the federation’s annual meeting.
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