AIBA approves IABF's amended constitution

 By Poonam Mehra

New Delhi, After the lifting of suspension on Indian boxers, the barred Indian Amateur Boxing Federation has got another shot in the arm with the world body, IBA, approving its amended constitution. "The amended constitution has been approved and we have sent a copy of it to the Sports Ministry as well," IABF Secretary General Rajesh Bhandari told PTI today. AIBA had provisionally suspended the IABF last year, citing the International Olympic Committee's ban on the Indian Olympic Association and "possible manipulation" in its elections.

The governing body had asked the IABF to amend its constitution to make it compliant with the AIBA Statute as one of the pre-requisites for the lifting of  suspension. "The AIBA wanted us to drop the word amateur because we have incorporated the provisions for professional boxing as well. We have also incorporated the age and tenure limitation guidelines which should satisfy the ministry as well," said Bhandari. The IABF was also suspended by the Sports Ministry, which wants it told hold a re-election.

"We are not averse to a re-election but we have given a point by point reply to the ministry's objections. They should tell us, what is it that we have done wrong," he said. The nominated post of Chairman, which is currently occupied by former IABF President Abhay Singh Chautala, has also been removed from the amended constitution. "We want the suspension to be revoked at least from the Ministry's side now. We have adhered to the sports code and have incorporated changes as suggested to us," Bhandari said. "Because this is what was discussed at our last meeting with the Ministry officials. Now they should keep their word after going through the constitution," he added. 

Fire in third secretariat building

Shillong, A fire broke out in the third secretariat building here today, official sources said. The fire broke out at around 1.30 am and destroyed at least three rooms including a strong room of the district Transport office here containing cash and tax records, the sources said. Several important records of the Megahalaya transport department were also feared destroyed in the fire, they said. Police have sought help from the Forensic department to investigate into how the fire broke out in the highly secured concrete building even as they have not ruled out foul play at the moment.

The third secretariat also houses other important government offices like the Electricity Commission, the Information Commission. According to the police, the guard of the office, B Shah, was not present when the fire broke out and the office area is also accessible through the other offices. Shah reached the office only when the firefighters had almost doused the flames. "We cannot rule out foul play in this incident. Samples were being taken and the matter is under investigation," a senior police officer. Police have questioned several people in this regard including the East Khasi Hill district transport officer C Lyngdoh, sources said.

Delhi HC seeks CBI response on Sanjiv Kumar's plea

New Delhi, The Delhi High Court today sought response of the CBI on IAS officer Sanjiv Kumar's appeal against his conviction and 10-year jail term in the case of illegal recruitments of teachers in Haryana. Justice Mukta Gupta issued a notice to the probe agency on the plea filed by Kumar, who was convicted and sentenced along with former Haryana Chief Minister O P Chautala and 53 others in the case of illegal recruitment of 3,206 junior basic teachers (JBT) in 2000.

The High Court has fixed the matter for further hearing on April 8. Kumar, the then Director of Primary Education in Haryana, had initially exposed the scam after he filed a plea in the Supreme Court. Later, he was also found to be involved in the scam during a CBI probe. On February, Chautala moved the high court against his
conviction and sentence awarded in the JBT scam. He has also sought interim bail in the case. The high court, on Chautala's plea, issued a notice to the CBI and sought his medical records from jail authorities. Kumar along with O P Chautala, his son Ajay Chautala and 52 others were sentenced to varying jail terms in the case by a special CBI court on January 22.

Apart from the Chautalas and Kumar, Chautala's former Officer on Special Duty Vidya Dhar and political advisor to the then Haryana CM Sher Singh Badshami were also given 10-year jail terms. The others who have been given 10-year jail term are Madan Lal Kalra, Durga Dutt Pradhan, Bani Singh, Ram Singh and Daya Saini. Apart from them, one convict has been handed five-year jail and the rest 44 were given four years of imprisonment. Among the 55 convicts, 16 were women officials. The special CBI court, on January 16, had convicted all of the 55 accused in the case.

Armour-plated "Battle Bus"

London: A rust-covered Armour-plated "battle bus", built in 1980s for former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher's tour of Northern Ireland, has been sold for nearly 17,000 pounds.

The 28-tonne bus with a blast-proof floor and thought to be chemical, biological and nuclear-proof was offered to Thatcher for a visit to the politically sensitive British-controlled province marred by sectarian violence.

At an auction last night, the bus was sold for 16,940 pounds (USD 26,000) to a vehicle collector, beating its 10,000-12,000 pounds guide price, according to Jonathan Humbert of JP Humbert Auctioneers in Northamptonshire, central England.

"This is not a good-looking vehicle by any stretch of the imagination, but is of social and historical interest. An irreplaceable one off! An iron bus for the Iron Lady!" Humbert said.

"There was immense interest in the bus," he said. "It sold to a spontaneous round of applause in the saleroom."

The bus, later used to transport troops, was commissioned by the British government and furnished with its own auxiliary generator and air supply to make it "chemical, biological and nuclear proof", according to the auctioneer.

The bus, which clocked only 28,000 km, had room for 35 passengers.


An armour-plated "battle bus", believed to have been used by former prime minister Margaret Thatcher in Northern Ireland, is to go under the hammer.

The 28-tonne bus was thought to have been built in the 1980s for a visit by Mrs Thatcher, before being used to transport troops, auctioneers said.

It has a blast-proof floor, armour-plated glass and was thought to be chemical, biological and nuclear-proof.

It is expected to fetch £10,000 in Towcester, Northamptonshire, next week.

Auctioneer Jonathan Humbert said the bus, which can hold 35 passengers, has just 28,000km (17,398 miles) on the clock and it has its own auxiliary generator and air supply in case anyone attacked it.

It also has a Foden chassis, a body by Glover and Webb and is powered by a 12-litre Rolls-Royce engine, Mr Humbert of JP Humbert Auctioneers said.

The sale comes from a private vendor who bought it from a research and development company, which in turn had bought it from the government.

"This isn't a good-looking vehicle by any stretch of the imagination - but is of social and historical interest," said Mr Humbert.

"It is an irreplaceable one-off, an iron bus for the Iron Lady."

The bus will go under the hammer on 21 February.

An oil painting of Anna Hazare

New Delhi: An oil painting of Anna Hazare by an inmate of India's largest prison Tihar earned him Rs 20,000 in an exhibition, said jail officials.

"M Lankeshwaran, who is serving jail term for murder, made an oil painting of Anna Hazare which was put up in Tihar exhibition of paintings. A tourist bought it for Rs 20,000," said a jail official on Friday.

In 2011, Anna Hazare had spent three days in Tihar when he was sent to jail ahead of his fast for a strong Lokpal Bill.

The 51-year-old Lankeshwaran is among 20 trained painters in Tihar who are teaching painting to 30 inmates, keen on taking up the paint brush as their hobby.

The exhibitions of their paintings are organised at various palaces in the capital which include Select City Walk shopping mall and five-star hotels. Monetary assistance is provided by the Tihar jail authorities.

Arjuna Ranatunga

If players like Sachin Tendulkar retire, Test cricket will die: Arjuna Ranatunga

 Bangalore:  Sri Lanka's World Cup-winning former captain Arjuna Ranatunga feels Test cricket would "die" if players like Sachin Tendulkar call it quits. "If players like him (Tendulkar) don't play the longer version of the game, Test cricket will die. I pray to God he continues to play Test cricket. I was very happy to know he has retried from ODIs. For me Test is education and the shorter versions are entertainment," Ranatunga told. Ranatunga, who guided Sri Lanka to their first and only World Cup title in 1996, said Tendulkar still has a lot of cricket left in him. Asked whether Sachin was on a comeback trail after scoring two centuries in domestic matches, Ranatunga said the Mumbaikar, despite being 39, is a much better player than some of the younger Indians.

"If he plays one good knock, I am sure he will play two-three years more without a problem," he said. On to issues facing international cricket and Ranatunga came down heavily on the ICC, calling the sport's world governing body "toothless". Instead of blaming the BCCI for the non-implementation of the controversial Decision Review System to avoid umpiring mistakes, Ranatunga turned his ire on the ICC. "I am not blaming BCCI, but blaming ICC for not making DRS compulsory. They should not allow home countries to take decisions on the matter," he said on the sidelines of Sri Lanka Tourism promotion event here. "They (the ICC) shout, but hardly bite. I have always said that they haven't changed. ICC should protect the game not individual countries on the DRS issue," he suggested. Ranatunga said even if the Indian Board pushes the ICC into a corner, it should have the spine to take bold decisions and make it mandatory for all nations to use DRS.

"This system is the best thing that has happened to cricket in the last 20 years and I feel DRS should be adopted by all countries. We would have been better batsmen, bowlers and fielders if the DRS was there in our time," Ranatunga opined. Ranatunga said Twenty20 has ruined cricket as it does not create technically sound players such as Sunil Gavaskar, Tendulkar, Gundappa Vishwanath, Mohammad Azharuddin or Dilip Vengsarkar. "They are more concerned about playing the shorter version of the game, earning money, not playing for the country," he said. "I still remember it was a great concern for us to get India out because they had quality batsmen like Rahul Dravid, Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Sourav Ganguly. Within four days we couldn't get them out.

"But now, we get to see a side folding up before lunch as it lacks technique. They are interested in hitting the ball rather than concentrating on technique," he argued. On chances of India winning the ongoing four-match Test series against Australia, Ranatunga said the hosts' prospects are decent as the touring side is weak.
"Without technique you cannot survive in Test cricket. India have very good hitters but they need to concentrate on technique," he said. "Technique of first six Indian top batsmen, barring few, is abysmal. Australia, on the other hand, is an inexperienced side," he said. Asked about Mahendra Singh Dhoni's captaincy, Ranatunga said nobody should comment on his leadership because he is the only Indian who has won two World Cups.

"I think India should allow Dhoni to captain," he said.

Hyderabed blast

Hyderabed blast: Rs 6 lakh compensation to those permanently disabled
Hyderabad, The Andhra Pradesh government today announced a compensation of Rs 6 lakh each to those who suffered permanent disability in the twin bomb blasts at Dilsukhnagar here, which claimed 16 lives and left over 100 injured. The state government had already announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 6 lakh each to the kin of those killed in the blasts yesterday.

Talking to reporters after a meeting Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy held with a group of ministers this afternoon, state Information and Public Relations Minister D K Aruna said 117 injured people were undergoing treatment in various hospitals in the city. Condition of four of the injured was critical, she said. "The government would bear the entire medical expenditure of all the injured," she added.

The government, while strongly condemning the bomb blasts, extended sympathies to the bereaved families. It also thanked the central government for responding immediately to the terror attack.

Virat Kohli appointed captain

Virat Kohli appointed captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore

BANGALORE: IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore on Wednesday appointed Virat Kohli as their captain for the upcoming sixth edition of Indian Premier League.

Kohli succeeds former New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori, who was at the helm during last season.

Kohli's appointment follows a productive IPL 6 auction in which RCB strengthened their bowling line-up significantly and added capable all-rounders to increase the amount of flexibility in the selection of the playing squad.

"We are delighted to announce Virat as our captain. His hunger to learn, lead, motivate and set an example is unquestionable," team owner Vijay Mallya was quoted as saying in a press release.

Virat is the 11th highest run-scorer in overall IPL history with 1639 runs and a strike rate of 119.28.

He has scored eight half centuries and is also the 3rd highest run scorer in Champions League T20 history.

"Glad to be appointed captain of RCB. I thank the owners for reposing their faith and I am looking forward to the challenge and the responsibility to carry the team to greater heights," Kohli stated.

Sanaa, Yemen (CNN)

Sanaa, Yemen (CNN) -- A military fighter jet went down in a residential section of Yemen's capital Tuesday, killing at least 10 people. It is the second deadly air crash in Sanaa in three months.

READ: November crash of military cargo plane kills 10 in Sanaa   military plane kills 12 in Sanaa

The jet hit the tops of three buildings in the central city, Defense Ministry officials said, setting more than a dozen houses on fire. At least one of the missiles the plane was carrying exploded during the crash.

At least seven civilians died on the ground, two of them children, and the crash injured 21 more people, a senior Defense Ministry official said. Three members of the military who were aboard the jet also died. They were on a training mission when it went down.

More explosions rang out after the crash.

Dozens of security force details, ambulances and fire trucks were deployed to the site.

"We are working on evacuating hundreds of residents from the area of the crash to ensure the safety of civilians," the official said.

In November, a military cargo plane caught fire and crashed in the city, killing 10 people

Pope was advised against air travel report

Pope Benedict XVI is nearly blind in one eye and was advised by his doctor to limit air travel because of his high blood pressure, the website Vatican Insider reported on Wednesday. The report also said the 85-year-old pontiff often has problems sleeping and has fallen out of bed several times in recent years on foreign trips, making him tired in public appearances.

The report was based on indiscretions from papal aides that Vatican affairs specialist Marco Tosatti said he had promised to keep secret until the end of the pontificate on February 28.

"The picture is of a progressive deterioration of his health and his energy - a context that fully justifies the difficult decision that the pope has taken," Tosatti wrote after the pope said he would step down due to old age.

The report cited the pope's doctor Patrizio Polisca saying two years ago that Benedict's blood pressure was having "major jumps" and insisting that he spend "as little time as possible in a plane because of the dangers".

Tosatti added that Benedict had been expressly advised not to make the transatlantic flight to Rio de Janeiro for World Youth Day later this year.

In his report, Tosatti also said the pope could "almost no longer see" out of his left eye and therefore had to be helped up and down steps.

The report said Benedict even began using a walking stick to get around his own residence last year because his left hip and knee were hurting.

The Vatican last week revealed the pope had hit his head and bled during a trip to Mexico last year and underwent surgery three months ago to replace the batteries in a pacemaker he was fitted with while he was still a cardinal.

CEO meets DGCA

Mallya surprises KFA staff with month's salary, CEO meets DGCA

Mumbai, A week after its lenders decided to recover their dues, cash-strapped Kingfisher Airlines has started paying salaries to its employees apart from approaching the aviation regulator seeking licence renewal, sources said today. "Some of us have received salary dues. Those in the lowest package as well as some engineers and pilots have also a month's salary dues,". The airline has not been paying salary to its employees since May last year, while it had started delaying salaries much before the crisis broke out last October. The sources also said airline Chief Executive Sanjay Agarwal is in the capital to meet the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to make a fresh request to resume operations.

However, both the developments could not be officially confirmed. Earlier in the day, Kingfisher shares rose as much as 5 per cent on the BSE, the maximum permissible limit on a day, after one of its promoters, United Breweries Holdings, hiked its loan limit for the ailing carrier to Rs 750 crore from Rs 300 crore.
UB Holdings has sought approval from its shareholders to revise the lending limit for Kingfisher and to authorise its board of directors to take necessary actions in this regard, the company had said yesterday. Reacting to the development, shares of the company touched an intra-day high of Rs 10.53 on the BSE, higher by 5 per cent from its previous closing price at 1230 hours. "To accommodate further lending to Kingfisher if required, it is proposed to realign these limits further by increasing
the lending limit to KFA from Rs 300 crore to Rs 750 crore and reducing the investment limit from Rs 1,200 crore to Rs 750 crore, thus maintaining the overall limit of Rs 1,500 crore..," UB Holdings said in a shareholders' notice.

The revision was done to facilitate the conversion of loans given to Kingfisher into convertible/no-convertible securities, as required by the debt recast agreement between the airline and a consortium of its lenders. It can also be noted that last Tuesday, the lenders to the airline, which number as many as 17 banks which together had extended Rs 7,000 crore to the company, had resolved to recall their loans to the airline, which had been grounded since October one last, saying more than enough time was given to the management to revive the crippled airline. The lenders consortium leader State Bank, which has an outstanding dud loan of over Rs 1,700 crore, had said as a first step, lenders would monetise the collaterals given to them from other group companies like Mangalore Fertilisers and the flagship United Spirits, in which 54 per cent has been sold to the British spirits major Diageo for around Rs 11,170 crore.

However, the UB Group has denied that it had given USL shares as collaterals to the lenders as well as the brand Kingfisher, which also covers its beer business.     The bankers are expecting to recover around Rs 1,000 crore from these securities before the end of this fiscal itself. Yesterday, SBI chairman P Chaudhuri had said in Chennai that he was hopeful of recovering a "good portion of his Rs 1,700 crore dues from the airline."

"Of the total dues of Rs 7,000 crore... so far, the approach was to revive the airline. But now we have decided to realise the securities provided by the airline. Our endeavour is to recover the full amount," Choudhuri said. Noting that recovery of dues would be after completing a "complicated, long, legal battle", he said the bank has made provisions to collect Rs 1,650 crore of the Rs 1,700 crore through realisation of securities.

The lenders also hope to take only a small haircut from the entire fiasco as they have collaterals worth  Rs 6,500 crore from group companies, excluding the brand Kingfisher, which in good times was valued at Rs 4,200 crore. The airline, launched in May 2005 as a gift to Vijay Mallya's son Siddharth on his 18th birthday has never made any profit and today has nearly Rs 18,000 crore which include bank loans, accumulated losses, salary arrears, vendors dues and tax dues among others.

Arunachal

Three killed in landslide in Arunachal

Itanagar: Three persons were killed and two others seriously injured in a massive landslide in Arunachal Pradesh's East Siang district.

The landslide occurred at 20 Mile 38 km from Pasighat town, official sources said on Tuesday.

Chief Minister Nabam Tuki announced an ex-gratia of Rs 1.5 lakhs each to the next of kin of those who died. He also directed payment of of relief to the injured.

Petrol price hiked

Petrol price hiked by Rs 1.50, diese l. 45 paise

New Delhi, Feb 15th  Petrol price was hiked by Rs 1.50 per litre and diesel by 45 paise a litre with effect from midnight tonight. While petrol rates have been revised in step with the steep rise in international rates, oil firms used the newly accorded freedom to increase diesel price in small dozes to effect the second price adjustment in one month. The increase announced is excluding local sales tax or VAT and the actual hike for consumers would be more after the incidence of duty is included. Petrol price in Delhi will go up by almost Rs 1.80 per litre after taking into account 19 per cent VAT. Diesel rates would go up by 51 paise.

New rates for petrol in Delhi would be Rs 69.05 per litre, while a litre of diesel will cost Rs 48.16. Petrol price was last revised on January 18 when the price was cut by 30 paise to Rs 67.26 a litre in Delhi. The reduction in rates on that day coincided with the government decision to give oil firms freedom to raise diesel prices in small monthly dozes to eliminate all of the losses on the fuel. Oil firms hiked diesel price on that day by 50 paise to Rs 47.65 a litre in Delhi.

Former advisor to Kalam dies

New Delhi, Maj Gen (Retd) R Swaminathan, advisor to former President A P J Abdul Kalam, died following brief illness at the age of 74.  Swaminathan breathed his last at 2.15 PM at the Army Research and Referral Hospital here. Immediately, Kalam drove to the hospital to pay his last respects and placed a wreath
on his body. He was associated with Kalam for several years, including the latter's tenure at the Rashtrapati Bhavan from 2002 to 2007.

Condoling the death, Kalam said, "Today is a sad day for me. I lost a very good friend of mine Maj. Gen R Swaminathan. May his soul rest in peace. "As a friend, I had an opportunity to work with him and we both had associated together for more than a decade. It is a personal loss for all of us." Calling him a "knowledge repository and "a man of honesty and integrity", Kalam recalled Swaminathan's contributions to a number of national defence projects as a scientist and a Chief Controller of Defence.

Satellite launch on February 25

Indo-French satellite SARAL set for launch on February 25

Bangalore, Indo-French satellite 'SARAL', aimed at oceanographic studies, would be launched along with a mix of six foreign mini and micro satellites on board PSLV-C20 from the spaceport of Sriharikota on February 25. The core-alone PSLV-20 is slated for the blast-off at around 6 pm on that day, sources in Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

The Bangalore-headquartered space agency had initially planned to launch SARAL on December 12 last year but postponed it to carry out additional tests to "address technical issues to ensure reliability". The co-passengers of SARAL would be two micro-satellites from Austria and one each from Denmark and Britain, as also one micro-satellite and one mini-satellite from Canada, the sources said.

ISRO officials said SARAL is a 410-kg satellite with payloads -- Argos and Altika -- from French space agency CNES for study of ocean parameters towards enhancing the understanding of the ocean state conditions which are otherwise not covered by the in-situ measurements. The satellite has been built by ISRO, which would also take care of the launch services.

SARAL will provide data products to operational and research user communities, in support of marine meteorology and sea state forecasting; perational oceanography; seasonal forecasting; climate monitoring; ocean, earth system and climate research, the officials said. Altimeter (Altika) would help study the sea surface heights while Argos payload is a satellite-based data collection platform. SARAL is a co-operative mission between Department of Space/ISRO and CNES, France with payloads from CNES and the spacecraft bus from DOS/ISRO.

Gardens opens for general public

Mughal Gardens opens for general public

New Delhi, President Pranab Mukherjee today opened for the general public the Mughal Gardens which will display some of the chosen best flowers and shrubs for visitors till March 17. Mukherjee took a stroll for about 30 minutes in the gardens going through minute details of the facilities and the flower carpets created in neat order in a 15-acre area of Rashtrapati Bhavan. "The President said he enjoyed morning walks every day in the gardens. He welcomed the public to come and see the Mughal Gardens in large numbers and enjoy seeing the flowers in full bloom. He expressed the hope that the future of the country would be as bright and vibrant as the flowers in the Mughal Gardens," a Rashtrapati Bhavan statement said.

The Gardens, opened for public between 10am-4pm, will have the main attraction of close to 2500 Dahlias flanked by trees of little 'China oranges' spread intermittently in the geometrical lawns meticulously brought up by a team of 35 dedicated gardeners of the President's Estate. "The main attraction this year is the floral wall of Dahlias which will be in full bloom and colour when the visitors start arriving. The indigenous soft 'doob' grass has been laid on the grounds which will present a soothing view to the visitors," Officer on Special Duty (Horticulture) at the Rashtrapati Bhavan Nigam Prakash said.

A host of flowers like Roses, Dahlia, Calendula, Gerbera, Linaria, Larkspur, Gaznia, Verbena, Viola, Pansy Carnation, Chrysanthemum, Marigold, Salvia and many more would welcome the visitors. Last year the gardens recorded 6.5 lakh footfalls when they were opened for a month's times.

Khurshid

Nalanda University should be in UNESCO heritage list: Khurshid

Rajgir (Bihar), External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid today advocated for inclusion of the ancient Nalanda University in Bihar in the UNESCO list of World Heritage sites. "The university deserves a place in the world's heritage list," he told reporters after a Parliamentary Consultative Committee meeting in Rajgir, about 80 km from Patna. Khurshid said Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's proposal for inclusion of Nalanda university, the Buddhist seat of learning in ancient times, in the world heritage list has reached Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia.

The union minister said the Centre would extend all assistance, including special arrangements in the budget, to accelerate the construction process of Nalanda  University so that the academic session could be started at the earliest. He said cultural diplomacy today holds primacy in betterment of relations with other nations.
"Trade and financial relationship are developed between two nations but cultural diplomacy has emerged as a more effective tool of establishing international relations as it establishes a chord between people of one country with another," Khurshid said. Besides Khurshid, eight members of Parliament participated in the meeting at the newly constructed International convention centre at Rajgir, the tourist hotspot of Bihar in Nalanda district.

The MPs who attended the meeting included Vijay Bahadur Singh, D Raja, Arjun Meghwal, Abdul Rahman, N K Raghvan, Ask Ali Tak, RCP Singh and Tarun Vijay. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar who was present at the meeting, thanked Khurshid for making a trip to Nalanda university. Hailing Nalanda university's revival plan, Kumar said it was his desire that the place regains its pristine glory and serve as venue for resolving international dispute. Ministry of External Affairs is piloting the Nalanda university revival plan.

India, along with 16 countries of East Asia, are involved with the project to see Nalanda emerge as "icon of Asian renaissance". The proposed university is expected to contribute to the promotion of regional peace and vision by bringing together the future leasders of the East Asia. Noble prize winner economist Amartya Sen is the Chancellor of Nalanda university.

Olympic Committee drops wrestling from 2020

International Olympic Committee drops wrestling from 2020 Games: Reports

 Lausanne, Switzerland: International Olympic Committee leaders dropped wrestling from the program for the 2020 Olympics on Tuesday, an official familiar with the decision told The Associated Press.

In a surprise move, the IOC executive board decided to retain modern pentathlon — the sport considered most at risk — and remove wrestling instead, the official said.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the decision hadn't been announced yet.

The IOC board acted after reviewing the 26 sports on the current Olympic program. Eliminating one sport allows the International Olympic Committee to add a new sport to the program later this year.

Wrestling combines freestyle and Greco-Roman disciplines. It had 11 medal events in freestyle and seven in Greco-Roman at last year's London Olympics.

Wrestling will now join seven other sports in applying for inclusion in 2020. The others are a combined bid from baseball and softball, karate, squash, roller sports, sport climbing, wakeboarding and wushu. They will be vying for a single opening in 2020.

The IOC executive board will meet in May in St. Petersburg, Russia, to decide which sport or sports to propose for 2020 inclusion. The final vote will be made at the IOC general assembly in September in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The last sports removed from the Olympics were baseball and softball, voted out by the IOC in 2005 and off the program since the 2008 Beijing Games. Golf and rugby will be joining the program at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro.

The IOC program commission report analyzed more than three dozen criteria, including television ratings, ticket sales, anti-doping policy and global participation and popularity. With no official rankings or recommendations contained in the report, the final decision by the 15-member board was also subject to political, emotional and sentimental factors.

Previously considered under the closest scrutiny was modern pentathlon, which has been on the Olympic program since the 1912 Stockholm Games. It was created by French baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic movement.

Modern pentathlon combines fencing, horse riding, swimming, running and shooting — the five skills required of a 19th century cavalry officer. The sport's governing body, the UIPM, has been lobbying hard to protect its Olympic status, and the efforts apparently paid off.

UIPM President Klaus Schormann had considered traveling from Germany to Lausanne for the decision, but decided to stay away.

"The Olympic movement always needs history," Schormann told the AP ahead of the IOC decision. "You cannot just say we look only at the future. You can have a future when you are stable on the basic part of history. We are continuing to develop, to renovate, to be innovative and creative. We are very proud of what we achieved so far and want to deliver this as well for the next generations in 2020.