Baseball, golf, karate, roller sports, rugby, softball and squash each will make their case for joining the Olympics when federation leaders appear Nov. 14 at a meeting of the IOC Program Commission in Lausanne.

Each will get one hour, with 20 minutes allowed for a presentation, followed by questions from the 15-member panel.

What the sports say and how well they say it is absolutely crucial to cutting the long odds each face. As of this writing, the sports won’t get the chance to make another direct appeal to the IOC prior to next June when the IOC Executive Board makes recommendations on which -- if any -- are deemed Olympics-worthy and suitable for consideration. The full IOC will vote on the 2016 program at the session next October in Copenhagen.

Based on the 2005 Singapore Session when IOC members cut sports from 2012 while failing to add any, nothing is guaranteed. But in the aftermath of that session there may be a will to expand. The IOC rule on adding a sport to the program now requires just a simple majority, changed from a two-thirds vote.

Baseball – Spurred on by Harvey Schiller, an energetic federation president, IBAF has mounted a serious campaign to return to the Olympics. But while the sport has addressed doping issues, the question of whether top major league players would participate is still in doubt. If Chicago is elected as 2016 Olympics host, the absence of U.S.-born baseball (and softball) would be a loss to those Games.

Golf – While golf may be a favorite sport of IOC members, we’re not sure they are convinced that the Olympics would do much for golf or that golf would help the Olympics. Despite the sport’s prestige and its devotees around the globe, we think the odds are long for golf at this stage. Why golf for the Olympics when it has far more prestigious tournaments to crown champions?

Karate – This martial art may have one of the better chances to reach the Games because it requires no special venue. Its widespread following around the globe is another plus because it means athletes from smaller nations can medal. Only one official from the WKF will appear in Lausanne, but President Antonio Espinos will have a good excuse: world championships will be underway in Tokyo. Karate presumably would draw big crowds if Tokyo is selected as the host of the 2016 Olympics, as would baseball and softball.

Roller Sports – The speed skating road race proposed for the Olympics requires no special venue, just the closing of city streets. But is the speed skating event what IOC members want – or is it skateboarding? Roller sports federation leaders are not as well known to the IOC as some of the other sports, and the federation’s lobbying is low-key. Maybe former roller hockey player Juan Antonio Samaranch might have some influence for roller sports?

Rugby – Some purists believe that Rugby 7s is not the true manifestation of the sport, but this smaller team format increases rugby’s Olympic viability over the traditional 15-member squads. Rugby 7s would open the door to medals for small nations that excel in the sport. IRB President Bernard Lapasset is a polished spokesman for rugby, past president of the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France. Will the IOC be lured by the sport’s TV appeal?

Softball – After losing its place on the Olympics by just one vote, softball could be back for 2016 as a result of a drug-free record, its status as a sport for women and development programs around the world. ISF President Don Porter has been a tireless campaigner for the sport and insists that softball stands on its own, distinct from baseball. On the other hand, would the IOC consider both baseball and softball if they shared a venue?

Squash – Vying to become the fourth racket sport of the Olympics, squash proposes using a TV-friendly glass-walled court that can be placed in any multi-sport arena. Squash will be the only sport presenting in Lausanne with an IOC member as part of the delegation, Prince Imran of Malaysia. But is squash a sport that will increase the interest of young people in the Olympics?

With 26 sports on the Olympic program and a limit of 28, there’s currently only room for two sports to join. That means five of these contenders will face disappointment. But the number of openings also could grow. Before it votes to add sports, the IOC will vote on whether to retain the 26 sports currently on the program. And there are some that might face that fate. Which sports to cut? We’ll defer that to a future, possibly quite controversial, OpEd.

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