Petition urging FISA to preserve lightweight rowing

The Olympic spirit is about inclusion, not discrimination. If the IOC and FISA wants to save money then eliminate the corruption within the organization; not the arbitrary discrimination of a class of bona-fide athletes who struggle to perfect their craft in the"pain cave" often unnoticed. These individuals have contributed to the Olympic spirit and its tradition for decades without succumbing to the almighty dollar of professional sports. Stop putting money before the ethics of sportsmanship and true athletic endeavor and think about the message you're sending to the youth of the world. That message is one of the fundamental tenets of the Olympic movement, How hypocritical of the IOC to invest millions to include ParaOlympians and then exclude someone because they don't weigh enough. Flyweight boxers and 132lb wrestlers and weightlifters use the same facilities as their heavier counterparts. Lightweight rowers use the same facilities as the heavyweights and although there would be additional cost associated with the manpower necessary for officiating,security and housing: compared to the total Olympic budget this is fiscal absurdity. If you want to promote athletics as a peaceful resolution to how we can coexist on this planet then your money would be better spent expanding the opportunities to recognize more athletic endeavors and not looking for ways to trim the cost at the expense of a group of athletes who have faithfully supported the Olympic movement.