As London [Images] basks in its status as 2012 Olympics [Images] host, 28 sports are braced for a vote to decide if they will feature in the British sporting extravaganza.

Golf, squash, karate, rugby sevens and roller sports are all pitching to be included in the 30th modern Olympics.

But for any of the five to be included, one of the existing 28 Olympic sports will have to be voted off the programme at the International Olympic Committee Session in Singapore on Friday.

The sports will face a vote one-by-one and must win a majority from IOC members. Any sport which fails to win more than 50 percent of members' votes will be dropped from the 2012 programme.

If a sport is dropped, the IOC executive board will select a replacement from the list of five candidates.

The sport recommended by the executive board to replace an outgoing one would first need a two-thirds majority to become an "Olympic sport" and would then need a simple majority in a second vote to be admitted to the 2012 Games programme.

Olympic sources in Singapore say it is unlikely the members will eject a sport for fear of causing irreversible damage to its status and finances.

But IOC members say they do want change.

Rugby hopes some compromise can be found.

"London wants rugby in the Olympics, that is for certain," International Rugby Board secretary general Mike Miller told Reuters.

"We would sell out Twickenham, Wembley or the new athletics stadium and it would create up to or maybe more than 10 million pounds ($17.53 million) of revenue.

"WANT CHANGE"

"IOC members also say they want change. But there is also a reluctance to get rid of any sport.

"There is the question of would we benefit the Olympics, and the answer is yes. Are we stronger than some of the current Olympic sports. Yes again. But there is more to it than that.

"All the members say yes they want change and but it's a big step to put someone out because a lot of these sports depend on the Olympics."

The last sport to be removed from the Olympic Games was polo in 1936.

In 2002 the IOC decided to cap the number of sports at an Olympic Games at 28, the number of events at 301 and the number of athletes at 10,500.

At that same session in Mexico City, Rogge proposed baseball, softball and modern pentathlon be dropped, and golf and rugby added.

However IOC members resisted and no vote was taken.

Miller hopes another way can be found.

"If the members want to change the charter they can do that. They can propose it off the floor. They can increase the maximum to 29 or 30 -- they don't have to have that many but it would give them more flexibility.

"London says they would be happy to have more athletes. London would love rugby."