Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Wrestling Will No Longer Be An Olympic Event
The International Olympic Committee has decided to eliminate wrestling, a sport as old as the Olympic Games (if not older!) from the 2020 Games, and beyond.
From Sporting News:
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.
...
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.
Honestly, what's surprising to me is that field hockey was even an Olympic sport.
Fare thee well, Olympic wrestling, and best of luck to you in the future. Play them out on their "One Dream," Sarah McLachlan.
Tags: wrestling , olympics , cut , baseball , field hockey , pentathalon , one dream , it's both funny and sad because it is a song performed at the olympics , Video
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