International Olympic Committee Cuts Wrestling from 2020 Olympics

[RyFo18]

This is stupid if you ask me. 90% of the people on here probably don't care. But you have an event where people ride around on horses telling them to do stupid shit (Dressing) and you cut wrestling?

Source

IOC Drops Wrestling From 2020 Olympics
By STEPHEN WILSON
LAUSANNE, Switzerland
abcnews.go.com


International Olympic Committee drops wrestling from the 2020 Olympic program

The Associated Press

IOC leaders dropped wrestling from the Olympic program on Tuesday, a surprise decision that removes one of the oldest Olympic sports from the 2020 Games.

The IOC executive board decided to retain modern pentathlon — the event considered most at risk — and remove wrestling instead from its list of 25 "core sports."

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, which combines freestyle and Greco-Roman events, goes back to the inaugural modern Olympics in Athens in 1896.

"This is a process of renewing and renovating the program for the Olympics," IOC spokesman Mark Adams said. "In the view of the executive board, this was the best program for the Olympic Games in 2020. It's not a case of what's wrong with wrestling, it is what's right with the 25 core sports."

Adams said the decision was made by secret ballot over several rounds, with members voting each time on which sport should not be included in the core group. IOC President Jacques Rogge did not vote.

Wrestling was voted out from a final group that also included modern pentathlon, taekwondo and field hockey, officials familiar with the vote told The Associated Press. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the voting details were not made public.

The board voted after reviewing a report by the IOC program commission report that analyzed 39 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.

The international wrestling federation, known by the French acronym FILA, is headed by Raphael Martinetti and is based in Corsier-sur-Vevey, Switzerland. Calls to the federation for comment were not immediately returned.

Wrestling featured 344 athletes competing in 11 medal events in freestyle and seven in Greco-Roman at last year's London Olympics. Women's wrestling was added to the Olympics at the 2004 Athens Games.

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 session, or general assembly, in September in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

It is extremely unlikely that wrestling would be voted back in so soon after being removed by the executive board.

"Today's decision is not final," Adams said. "The session is sovereign and the session will make the final decision."

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.

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, and combines fencing, horse riding, swimming, running and shooting.

Klaus Schormann, president of governing body UIPM, lobbied hard to protect his sport's Olympic status and it paid off in the end.

"We have promised things and we have delivered," he said after Tuesday's decision. "That gives me a great feeling. It also gives me new energy to develop our sport further and never give up."

Modern pentathlon also benefited from the work of Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr., the son of the former IOC president who is a UIPM vice president and member of the IOC board.

"We were considered weak in some of the scores in the program commission report but strong in others," Samaranch told the AP. "We played our cards to the best of our ability and stressed the positives. Tradition is one of our strongest assets, but we are also a multi-sport discipline that produces very complete people."

[GloryDayz]

Originally Posted by Chiefaholic

Coming from a former high school wrestler, this pisses me off. Those of you who are lame ass b**ches who call the sport boring have no ****ing clue how much work and dedication wrestling takes. To watch it and understand it keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire match. This is a sport where one guy can totally destroy his opponent the majority of the match and lose with just one simple screw up. Dominant wrestlers have to have speed, strength, agility, quick actions and reactions, and YEARS of training to have a minute chance of achieving an opportunity to make the Olympics. But nooooo.... Let's pass up tradition and more passionate fans than many of the other lame ass reasons NOT to watch the Olympics.

Well said. I coach it now, and both wrestled and played football "back in the day." Not that difficulty equates to a reason for the Olympics to have a sport (or they'd have a treadmill running event!!!), but it flat blows that these paid-off assholes would cut a sport that's actually done worldwide... i don't care if it's folk vs Greco vs freestyle, it's just wrestling. Still the most awesome sport in the world. And as much as I always loved it, words can't describe the rush I'd get watching my son.

[Rain Man]

Based on the article, it sounds like wrestling can get back in, but it has to compete with other iconic sports like wakeboarding, roller sports, and wushu. Wushu?

No wonder civilization is collapsing around our ears.

[rico]

I am speechless. Incredibly pissed off that this is even a mere consideration, let alone looking to actually unravel.

**** the Olympics. I am never watching them again. Seriously, **** **** them and anyone who thinks this is a good idea.

[listopencil]

It's because Pope Benedict 16 is stepping down. Apparently it was his favorite amateur sport.

[Tribal Warfare]

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

Hard to believe they cut this over Equestrian?? Does the horse get the medal or the rider?

speed walking too

[CoMoChief]

So you take away the oldest and most original sport in the Olympics?

Good Job....almost as good as the Rio decision.

Wonder though if they get rid of boxing and open the door for MMA

[alnorth]

The Olympic committee for the Russian Federation has decided to formally appeal the decision to the full IOC. At the same time, the president of the IOC has also scheduled a meeting with the governing body of wrestling, and IOC officials are now starting to suggest that perhaps they might recommend 3 sports out of 7 to be included with the 25 core sports, not just 1.

I'm not surprised in the least, as I expected they are catching holy hell for this decision, and now they are trying to figure out a face-saving solution to this self-inflicted problem.

edit: the government of India also announced that they are going to do whatever they can to keep wrestling.

[Rausch]

Originally Posted by CoMoChief

So you take away the oldest and most original sport in the Olympics?

Good Job....almost as good as the Rio decision.

Wonder though if they get rid of boxing and open the door for MMA

Kenny Monday will be on a rampage next...

[Chief_For_Life58]

how the hell do you cut wrestling from the olympics? Its the oldest sport in the world next to running. Outrageous

[Rausch]

Originally Posted by Chief_For_Life58

how the hell do you cut wrestling from the olympics? Its the oldest sport in the world next to running. Outrageous

Running - a small part of the training necessary to wrestle...

[alnorth]

Even though it now looks clear that wrestling will be saved, it still boggles the mind that we're even talking about this.

If we want to put in a lot of made-up sports to fill out the program, fine but we always have to have the primal things: people run, people jump, people throw things, people swim, and people fight.

Out of all the combat sports, wrestling is probably the most pure and honorable, in that no one is actually trying to hurt their opponent. In the other combat sports, you are trying to hurt your opponent, and we put in equipment and safety things so that you hopefully are unable to do it even though you try.

[-King-]

As long as I cut speed walking, I'm fine with it...

[ghak99]

I never wrestled and am not what I would call a fan, but I respect the sport for what it is.

I find it incredibly ****ing retarded that they would even consider removing wrestling from the Olympics.

[Rudy Was Offsides]

Originally Posted by alnorth

Even though it now looks clear that wrestling will be saved

Link?

[houstonwhodat]

Roddy White calls IOC “retards” for dropping wrestling


http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com...ing-wrestling/