In its bylaws, USARS acknowledges "artistic", "speed", "roller derby" and "hockey" discipline categories. Its membership application for individuals, however, includes the following categories:
"figure" refers to roller figure skating, including singles, pairs, dance, figure, and precision
The sport is part of the Pan American Games and the World Games and is noted as an Olympic Recognized sport. In 2005, the International Olympic Committee selected Roller Sports among four other sports for consideration into the Olympic Games. In particular, Inline Speedskating was chosen and submitted for consideration. In the 1990s, hockey was slated as a demonstration sport but was never added as a full-fledged member of the Olympic Games' program. FIRS President Aracu has recently set up a multimedia site to make rollerskating sports more visible to the IOC. Enter that site from http://www.rollersports.tv/ So far figure rollerskating and inline speed skating are represented in online videos. Pres. Aracu also has posted on that site a few letters documenting some of the steps he has taken to promote international speed skating. FIRS and the CIC proposed to the International Olympic Committee that inline speedskating be the rollerskating discipline presented at the 2012 Summer Games. http://olympic.patincarrera.com/eng/news.html In February 2012 IOC President Jacques Rogge told reporters that rollersports are one of eight sports in consideration for the 2020 Olympics.
Controversy
In October 2001, USA Hockey, the national governing body of ice hockey in the United States, challenged USARS jurisdiction over roller hockey; however, the United States Olympic Committee continues to reaffirm the charter of roller sports, eligible in the summer Olympics, to USA Roller Sports. In the meantime, USA Hockey formed a separate branch called USA Hockey InLine that is also promoting inline hockey events, but does not send a national team to the FIRS Inline Hockey World Championships. USA Hockey InLine does field its own national team, but it takes part in the IIHF Inline Hockey World Championships, a separate event operated by the International Ice Hockey Federation since 1996. In response, USA Roller Sports aligned itself with the Amateur Athletic Union to help with growth and legitimacy of its hockey programs. Top roller hockey players have often shifted their allegiance from one organization to the other depending on opportunities. In some cases, players will appear at both World Championships in the same year. On May 10, 2011, USA Hockey announced that it was terminating its inline program, and that all inline hockey memberships would expire on August 31, 2011, and encouraged USA Hockey inline members to transfer to USARS. Since 2011, USARS has been in an ongoing controversy with the Women's Flat Track Derby Association and the affiliated Men's Roller Derby Association, with competing rules sets for playing roller derby.
