Pure Skating News

As one of seven sports bidding for just two places on the Olympic Games programme, Roller Sports made their pitch to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Friday 14 November hoping to make the cut next year. Karate, golf, squash, rugby, roller sports, baseball and softball are battling it out for two spots on the programme, starting from the 2016 Olympic Games thanks to a seven-year lead time policy established by the IOC.

Roller Sports Ambassadors Derek Parra & Ippolito Sanfratello outside the IOC headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland
Image courtesy FIRS

FIRS president Sabatino Aracu together with FIRS Secretary General Roberto Marotta presented to the IOC 5 FIRS-produced videos on Roller Sports, after which Ambassadors Derek Parra (USA) and Ippolito Sanfratello (ITA, both former World Inline Champions and both Olympic Champions in Ice Speedskating) answered numerous questions put forward by the IOC Sports Commission and journalists interested in Roller Sports' Olympic candidature.

Parra & Sanfratello talk with the media, flanked by Sabatino Aracu and Roberto Marotta
Image courtesy FIRS

The 5 video presentations produced by FIRS for the Olympic campaign, and entitled Roller World, Roller Leisure, Roller Proposal, Roller Dream and The 5th Element paint and real, emotive and exciting picture of Roller Speed Skating. The videos are presented below via YouTube, and are available in .avi format from the FIRS Website. For any National Federation, State Branch, Regional Association, Speed Skating Team or Club, these are the perfect presentation for showing on your skating websites, and in your skating centers.