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IOC recommends to cut wrestling from 2020 Olympics

Discussion in 'Other Sports' started by JuanValdez, Feb 12, 2013.

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  1. JuanValdez

    JuanValdez Contributing Member

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    http://www.chicagotribune.com/sport...pics-sportsbre91b0kd-20130212,0,2259237.story

    [rquoter]IOC recommends to cut wrestling from 2020 Olympics

    Karolos GrohmannReuters
    6:50 a.m. CST, February 12, 2013

    LAUSANNE (Reuters) - Wrestling should be removed from the 2020 Olympic Games, the International Olympic Committee's Executive Board said in a surprise recommendation on Tuesday as it looks to revamp the Games sports program.

    Wrestling, contested in the first modern Olympics in 1896, will now join a list of seven other candidate sports battling for one spot on the program. It is very unlikely, however, that it will get back in when the IOC session in Buenos Aires in September votes on the recommendation.

    "This is not the end of the process, this is purely a recommendation," IOC spokesman Mark Adams told reporters after the executive board vote. "It is the session which is sovereign."

    "It was a decision to look at the core sports, what works best for the Olympic games. This was the best program for the 2020 Olympics. This is not about what's wrong with wrestling but what is good for the Games."

    The Executive Board vote comes as a major surprise after other sports, including modern pentathlon and taekwondo, were seen at risk of losing out on the Olympics due to their lower global appeal.

    SECRET BALLOT

    Board members were given a report on each of the Olympic sports which provided details on 39 criteria such as popularity, finances, tickets sold and governance, before a secret vote.

    IOC sources told Reuters that in the secret ballot there were four sports battling to avoid the cut: field hockey, modern pentathlon, taekwondo and wrestling.

    "I am very surprised by the result," board member and president of the International ice hockey federation Rene Fasel told Reuters. "Personally I do not know why but that is what the majority wanted."

    The IOC said 25 of the 26 Olympic sports were elected as core sports for the 2020 Games which will also include rugby and golf, making their first appearance in 2016.

    Wrestling will now join baseball and softball, making a joint bid, martial arts karate and wushu, rollersports, wakeboarding, squash and sports climbing as candidates for the one empty spot.

    Baseball and softball were taken off the program in 2005.

    The IOC executive board will meet in St Petersburg in May to determine which of these will be put to the vote in September.

    Wrestling had 344 athletes in total at the London Olympics, competing in greco-roman and freestyle disciplines.

    MAJOR BLOW

    Olympic exclusion will be a major blow to the sports popularity and financial stability as the Games are a global platform for the promotion of smaller, less established sports.

    "It is very unfortunate," Satpal Singh, coach of India's two-time Olympic medal winner Sushil Kumar, told Reuters. "It is being played from the first Olympics and is played all over the world."

    "Our boys performed well in London. We are coaching a young crop of wrestlers and were seriously targetting 10-12 medals in 2016 and 2020 from wrestling alone," he said.

    The international wrestling federation FILA, contacted by Reuters, did not want to comment on the decision.

    Madrid, Tokyo and Istanbul are bidding to host the 2020 Olympics with a decision also to be taken in September.

    The decision, however, was welcomed by International Modern Pentathlon Union president Klaus Schorman.

    "In the last few years we acted and took decisions to make our sport more telegenic and more compact," Schormann told Reuters. "So every good news is further motivation for us."

    (Reporting by Karolos Grohmann, additional reporting by Sudipto Ganguly in Mumbai, editing by Justin Palmer)[/rquoter]

    Now, I hate the Olympics and I don't watch the wrestling or any other wrestling. But, the Olympics without wrestling seems pretty dumb. It's a real sport, and an original Olympic sport. Much more cred than golf or curling or a lot of the other stupid crap they have in the Olympics. The IOC had lost its way.
     
    #1 JuanValdez, Feb 12, 2013
  2. AroundTheWorld

    AroundTheWorld Insufferable 98er
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    That seems weird, because, as you say, it is an original Olympic sport. I agree with you.
     
    #2 AroundTheWorld, Feb 12, 2013
  3. tallanvor

    tallanvor Contributing Member

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    Why are none of the archery or shooting events done off horseback? Seems like that would be more historically relevant and interesting.

    btw not a wrestling fan. What is the argument for removing wrestling from the Olympics? I am not seeing it in the article. Is it just not very popular?
     
    #3 tallanvor, Feb 12, 2013
  4. Classic

    Classic Member

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    So does croquet have a shot now?
     
    #4 Classic, Feb 12, 2013
  5. No Worries

    No Worries Contributing Member

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    Two words ...

    Synchronized Swimming

    <iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/J_wZpaLGCjo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

    How is this a sport?
     
    #5 No Worries, Feb 12, 2013
  6. rhadamanthus

    rhadamanthus Contributing Member

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    wtf? this is one of the most basic and oldest sports ever.

    how in the flaming heck can this go away while synchronized swimming of ****ing rythmic gymnastics are in the program? Those two are essentially the drill team/color guard of sports; meaning epic crap.
     
    #6 rhadamanthus, Feb 12, 2013
  7. apollo33

    apollo33 Member

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    This is the biggest joke of all time

    let's remove the most Olympic Sports from the Olympics
     
    #7 apollo33, Feb 12, 2013
  8. rocketsjudoka

    rocketsjudoka Contributing Member
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    This is all about money and perceived popularity. You have up to 8 different races for every 50 meters of length for swimming but have other sports struggling to get in. Swimming, gymnastics, and track and field have big time money and endorsements behind them while wrestling doesn't. The IOC at this point doesn't care that much about history.
     
    #8 rocketsjudoka, Feb 12, 2013
  9. oomp

    oomp Contributing Member

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    Original sport. As a native Iowan, where wrestling is an institution, my twitter timeline blew up this morning in dissapointment.
     
    #9 oomp, Feb 12, 2013
  10. Angkor Wat

    Angkor Wat Member

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    They could cut about 90% of the events and nobody would care
     
    #10 Angkor Wat, Feb 12, 2013
  11. J.R.

    J.R. Member

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    <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Wow, harsh treatment. What is worse, the Olympics dropping wrestling or this photo being used in the WSJ story? <a href="http://t.co/OHrPuKut" title="http://twitter.com/dmorey/status/301351888018866176/photo/1">twitter.com/dmorey/status/…</a></p>&mdash; Daryl Morey (@dmorey) <a href="https://twitter.com/dmorey/status/301351888018866176">February 12, 2013</a></blockquote>
    <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
     
    #11 J.R., Feb 12, 2013
  12. oomp

    oomp Contributing Member

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    http://www.desmoinesregister.com/ar...s-to-fight-Olympic-decision-to-drop-wrestling

    Dan Gable vows to fight Olympic decision to drop wrestling

    Written by

    BRYCE MILLER



    Memo to the International Olympic Committee on the heels of a preliminary vote to drop wrestling at the 2020 Olympics: You’ve got a fight on your hands.

    Dan Gable, arguably the most iconic American name in the sport, vowed to work at changing the decision before a final vote in September.

    “The thing is, because of wrestling, I have a mindset that is strong. Exceptionally strong,” Gable said today. “I don’t believe in the four-letter word ‘quit.’ I don’t believe in the four-letter word ‘can’t.’

    “Right now, I’m not going to change because I see an initial vote. I’m not going to quit. I’m going to fight.”

    The IOC entered a vote to trim one sport from the current list of 26.

    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 final vote will occur at the IOC’s general assembly in September in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

    Mark Adams, IOC spokesperson said “today’s decision is not final” — though reversing course so soon would be considered an upset by many who know the organization.

    Gable, a national champion at Iowa State and record-setting coach at Iowa, recorded one of the most dominant Olympic performances in history — regardless of sport — when he won a freestyle wrestling gold medal in 1972, without surrendering a single point.

    “They said usually when it gets voted, they don’t come back and reverse it,” he said, “but it’s not over yet.”

    Wrestling is among the oldest sports offered at the Olympics. It was part of the ancient games, and was contested at the first modern Olympics in 1896 in Athens, Greece.

    “It’s not like you have a sport like baseball, that has a pro baseball league that’s outstanding — so kids can dream of going places beyond the educational system,” Gable said. “So that kind of eliminates the high end for us. You continue to have world championships, but it’s tainted big-time if you don’t have the Olympics behind your sport.

    “Obviously, you’re not done, though, and you keep fighting.”

    Return to DesMoinesRegister.com for more coverage and reaction — and read Bryce Miller’s column in Wednesday’s newspaper.
     
    #12 oomp, Feb 12, 2013
  13. v3.0

    v3.0 Contributing Member

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    <iframe width="480" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/O275AC7mTvk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
     
    #13 v3.0, Feb 12, 2013
  14. DonkeyMagic

    DonkeyMagic Contributing Member
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    while I no nothing of wrestling, other than that the hogan leg drop is devastating, I can't believe they would get rid of this in the Olympics. There are so many other worthless events
     
    #14 DonkeyMagic, Feb 12, 2013
  15. lean

    lean Member

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    <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Wrestling is out of the Olympics, speed walking and ping pong are still in.We're ****ed. Humans ruin everything.</p>&mdash; Joe Rogan (@joerogan) <a href="https://twitter.com/joerogan/status/301393666264678400">February 12, 2013</a></blockquote>
    <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
     
    #15 lean, Feb 12, 2013
  16. AroundTheWorld

    AroundTheWorld Insufferable 98er
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    LMAO - love Morey.
     
    #16 AroundTheWorld, Feb 12, 2013
  17. leroy

    leroy Contributing Member

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    What he said.
     
    #17 leroy, Feb 12, 2013
  18. calurker

    calurker Contributing Member

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    Just a microcosm of our society placing increasing value on specialization. What they should really do is take Olympics back to its roots and celebrate skills that would help mankind survive a zombie apocalypse.

    Fighting - wrestling, judo, karate, taekwondo, boxing, all in one no holds barred event.
    Melee Weaponry - fencing, kendo, etc. in a royal rumble
    Distance Weaponry - archery vs. guns, on horseback
    Running - short burst, medium range, distance
    Obstacles - hurdles, long jump, high hump, etc.
    Swimming - distance and diving

    Extra points given to more apocalypse-fitting categories (e.g., archers get more points because easier to make your own bows and arrows vs. guns and gunpowder) to equalize/balance. Get rid of all other stupid pussyfoot events, especially the ones where the Olympics isn't the biggest event for the sport to begin with.
     
    #18 calurker, Feb 12, 2013
  19. cdeezballz

    cdeezballz Member

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    They need to let professionals compete in wrestling. Can you smell what the Rock is cookin?
     
    #19 cdeezballz, Feb 12, 2013
  20. rocketsjudoka

    rocketsjudoka Contributing Member
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    Pankration was similar to that and has been revived in modern times. Although with more rules than the ancient art.
     
    #20 rocketsjudoka, Feb 12, 2013
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