The International Olympic Committee (IOC) voted on Friday to drop baseball and softball from the 2012 Olympics in London.
Meeting in Singapore, the 127th plenary assembly voted in secret on all 28 existing sports, with baseball and softball failing to receive the majority required to stay on the programme. The 26 others were retained.
Baseball and softball are the first sports cut from the Olympics since water polo in 1936.
IOC members will decide on Saturday which sports will replace the two from a waiting list of five: golf, rugby, squash, karate and roller sports.
The summer Games are fixed at a maximum of 28 sports, with 301 medal competitions and 10 500 athletes. — Sapa-DPA