Singapore (My Sportsbook) - Squash and karate were nominated for inclusion in the 2012 Summer Olympics on Friday, but neither sport received the requisite votes needed for approval from International Olympic Committee members.

One day after baseball and softball became the first sports dropped from the Olympics in nearly 70 years, squash and karate were nominated for inclusion by the IOC Executive Board over three other candidate sports -- golf, squash and roller sports -- in two series of secret ballots.

A two-thirds vote was needed to approve their inclusion in the Olympic program, but neither sport reached that.

That leaves just 26 sports on the program for the 2012 Games in London, which was awarded the Olympics one day before Thursday's terrorist bombings. There were 31 sports on the program at the Athens Games last summer.

All seven sports -- baseball, softball and the five nominated replacements -- will be put to a vote in four years for inclusion in the 2016 program.

"Baseball is the national sport of a number of countries around the world and continues to grow in its global appeal," Major League Baseball President and Chief Operating Officer Bob DuPuy said in a statement on Friday. "Since 1990, the number of national baseball federations has grown from 60 to 122. We believe that the inaugural World Baseball Classic, which will take place next March, will be a great international success and emblematic of the growth of our game. By deleting baseball from its Olympic Games, the International Olympic Committee has made a mistake that will adversely affect millions of sports fans worldwide."

Baseball and softball were the first sports dropped from the Olympics since polo was cut in 1936. They remain on the program for the 2008 Games in Beijing, China.