Wrestling Dropped From Olympics

[naturalborn103]

IOC drops wrestling from 2020 Olympics

Wrestling, part of the first modern Olympics and a U.S. strength, was shockingly cut from the Summer Games on Tuesday, beginning in 2020.

The International Olympic Committee was expected to cut the sport of modern pentathlon but instead decided to remove wrestling based on criteria such as global participation and popularity.

"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."

The loss of wrestling a huge blow to the U.S., the most successful country in Olympic wrestling, winning 124 medals. U.S. women have won four medals since women's wrestling was added to the 2004 Athens Games. Clarissa Chun, a two-time Olympian, won bronze at the 2012 London Games. Jordan Burroughs and Jake Varner won gold in freestyle and Coleman Scott added bronze.

The former Soviet Union is second in the wrestling medal count with 116 followed by Finland (85) and Sweden (83). Americans have won 50 gold medals in wrestling, second to only the Soviet Union's 62.

Wrestling featured 344 athletes competing in 11 medal events in freestyle and seven in Greco-Roman at the London Olympics.

Wrestling has a chance to be included in the 2020 Games, but that is likely a longshot so soon after Tuesday's announcement. It will now compete against seven other sports vying for Olympic inclusion: baseball/softball, karate, roller sports, sport climbing, squash, wakeboarding and wushu. The federations of those sports will make presentations to the IOC's executive board in May and a decision will be made in September.

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 Games at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Wrestling is known as the world's oldest competitive sport. It dates to cave drawings of wrestling found as far back as 3000 BC and was part of the ancient Olympics in 708 BC. When the modern Games resumed in 1896, wrestling was one of nine sports on the program.

A lot of you might not care, but this is pathetic. Half the sports in olympics most people have never heard of and the only people doing it are in the olympics. I never thought I would see the day where this would happen.

[Tweak Da Leak]

Yeah especially if they replace it with Karate which will look a lot like the TKD, funny since Wrestling was one of the og olympic sports and it truly does have International appeal.

[naturalborn103]

So golf is added and wrestling is dropped.. WTF!

[capable_keL]

shout out to brock lesner who housed a gold medal. ski u mah MINNESOTA.bring on pole dancing

[Random Sample]

My family was a big part of wrestling and I live in a big wrestling area. I just went to a Pitt vs. Penn State wrestling match on Friday. I am sad about this. I actually watch Wrestling every Olympics. It is bullshit that badminton, ping pong, equestrian, and other shit gets to stay, but wrestling is considered to be expendable. This is bullshit.

[an-also]

So whats the rationale to remove wrestling? Wrestling seems like it would be the quintessential Olympic sport.

[Positive A]

So whats the rationale to remove wrestling? Wrestling seems like it would be the quintessential Olympic sport.

They want to get "new and/or relevant" or something to that effect. Whatever it is, its stupid.

[capable_keL]

wrestling, no. white people with brooms on ice, yes

[alpha]

Leave curling alone. Summer vs winter dun.

[dubs]

I for one, have no idea what competitive squash is.

Wrestling>>>Squash

[Req]

shout out to failed NFL player and failed MMA athlete who went back to cartoon wrestling with his vagina loosely tucked between his legs

[jredd109]

do they just throw a dart at a board blindfolded to drop sports. first baseball, now wrestling. fuck they're stupid. they need more dick pound...

[capable_keL]

shout out to failed NFL player and failed MMA athlete who went back to cartoon wrestling with his vagina loosely tucked between his legs

correct, but dont forget the gold medal

#wrestling

[D. James]

shout out to failed NFL player and failed MMA athlete who went back to cartoon wrestling with his vagina loosely tucked between his legs

Keep in mind that when he tried out for the Vikings, he hadn't played competitive football in 5 years. I think it's pretty remarkable that he even made the team after not having played in so long and if he had tried to get in right after college he probably could've been a situational player if not a starter for a few years. And he most certainly was not a failed MMA athlete, he was UFC Heavyweight Champion and, if they had've been able to make the Lesnar/Emelianenko fight happen, it would've been the biggest fight in the company's history.

[Hayzoos]

I don't understand this at all

[dirtee]

this is just stupid and it shouldn't have happened.

[Tweak Da Leak]

As Chael says OLY wrestling has been dead, the international rules encourage stalling and it has been going downhill for awhle

[ThaJim2]

Want to get worked up over this but then like the rest of the world I just don't care. I think the last time I saw a Olympic Wrestling match was when that American dude from fattest loser beat Ivan Drago and I could not tell you the last time before that. Apparently this is how the rest of the world feels too.

[naturalborn103]

I agree with Sonnen that Olympic rules suck, but it still should not be taken out of Olympics. There is a lot more sports in Olympics that are less watchable and less countries and people play. Folkstyle, the kind you see in HS and College is the most exciting wrestling to watch.

Want to get worked up over this but then like the rest of the world I just don't care. I think the last time I saw a Olympic Wrestling match was when that American dude from fattest loser beat Ivan Drago and I could not tell you the last time before that. Apparently this is how the rest of the world feels too.

That is not how the rest of the world feels, which is why so many people are complaining about this. It is not $ maker like basketball, golf, etc. and does not have political ties like modern pentathlon, but there is a LOT of people here and internationally who still care.

[ALASKA]

I agree with Sonnen that Olympic rules suck, but it still should not be taken out of Olympics. There is a lot more sports in Olympics that are less watchable and less countries and people play. Folkstyle, the kind you see in HS and College is the most exciting wrestling to watch.

freestyle and greco fucking suck. Folkstyle is good, they force the action much more. I have issues with riding time in college wrestling, it encourages less action. I got to watch Cael Sanderson win his final NCAA tournament and go undefeated through his college career, it was a take down workshop. thing of beauty.

[naturalborn103]

^Agreed about riding time from the fans perspective, but I think it is a good rule. You should get something for really dominating someone from top even if you can't turn them.

Is there any rule changes that could make a wrestling 'league' commercially successful? I remember a long time ago someone tried to make a league where if you got thrown off the edge of the mat, which had a decline, you lost points. It didn't last long.

I was before and now even more thinking about opening up my own wrestling gym, but I need to really do some research if I could break even at the end of the day or maybe even make a little profit.

[ric]

i dont like watching wrestling but to take it out of the olympics is on some 'wheres the artistic integrity?' shit. the fact is wrestling is way more athletic and shit than a lot of those other sports even if i dont give a flying fuck.

on the other hand.....pretty much no one gives a flying fuck so why bother? some people actually like horse riding

[Random Sample]

freestyle and greco fucking suck. Folkstyle is good, they force the action much more. I have issues with riding time in college wrestling, it encourages less action. I got to watch Cael Sanderson win his final NCAA tournament and go undefeated through his college career, it was a take down workshop. thing of beauty.

Freestyle and Greco do suck. They are boring to watch. I am with you on folkstyle. I just saw Cael Sanderson last week at the Pitt/Penn St match. What Cael Sanderson did was amazing.

The best wrestler I have ever watched was a guy that wrestled at the same time as my brother. His name was Kary Kolat. He never lost a match in high school and won 4 straight PA state titles. He won two National championships wrestling for Lock Haven. He ended his college wrestling career 111-7.

[ALASKA]

freestyle and greco fucking suck. Folkstyle is good, they force the action much more. I have issues with riding time in college wrestling, it encourages less action. I got to watch Cael Sanderson win his final NCAA tournament and go undefeated through his college career, it was a take down workshop. thing of beauty.

Freestyle and Greco do suck. They are boring to watch. I am with you on folkstyle. I just saw Cael Sanderson last week at the Pitt/Penn St match. What Cael Sanderson did was amazing.

The best wrestler I have ever watched was a guy that wrestled at the same time as my brother. His name was Kary Kolat. He never lost a match in high school and won 4 straight PA state titles. He won two National championships wrestling for Lock Haven. He ended his college wrestling career 111-7.

I remember that name. did he go to penn state? we had a guy out here Troy Bazakus. He won state as an 8th grader and a 9th grader, didnt lose a match till the state semi's in his 10th grade which he lost on criteria, the only other match he lost in high school was by 1 point in the finals when he was in 11th grade. he won state again in his senior year. I dont think he did anything in college. but he was amazing. I wrestled him in empire state trials and got tech falled in about 59 seconds. i had no idea what happened.

[naturalborn103]

What weight you wrestle alaska?

I used to hate pa and ny wrestlers. Everyone from pa i wrestled were extremely slick technicians and everyone from ny thought they were gods gift to wrestling.

[naturalborn103]

Damn, tech fall in 59 seconds more impressive then pin.

[ALASKA]

What weight you wrestle alaska?

I used to hate pa and ny wrestlers. Everyone from pa i wrestled were extremely slick technicians and everyone from ny thought they were gods gift to wrestling.

I started varsity in 8th grade at 98 lbs (I was actually 88 lbs but i couldnt beat the kid at 91lbs so i had to bump up. I was pretty much a body at that point to collect forfeit points in duel meets)

9th grade i was actually 98 lbs
10th grade 105
11th grade 126
12th grade 145

I hated Jersey wrestlers...because they were assholes. outside of summer tournaments I dont think I wrestled anyone outside of NY or Jersey. scratch that I wrestled kids from all over at the Chris Campbell Cornell Camp and J. Robinsons Camp in Minnesota.

At best I was good in my league, all league for 4 years, in my section (state qualifiers, I was all section in my 10th grade year, I took third in the qualifier, basically a few upset wins. 11th grade I was 12-1 when I fucked up my back and after that I was never the same, plus I was pretty burnt out. I wrestled year round from 8th grade till 11th grade. In my senior year I just wanted it to end, I realized I wasnt going to win sections or states I wasnt going to go on to college to wrestle (though I did get some recruitment calls but that was because my best friend since childhood and co-captain was a 2x state champ who went undefeated through Jr. and Sr. year - most calls started with them asking me if I wanted to wrestle then asking me if I knew what his college plans were). The happiest moment of my season was when I lost my last match and knew I would never have to wrestle again.

My dad is still hella into wrestling. I actually got him tix to the state title this weekend. We are going up to albany on saturday to watch that shit.

Where did you wrestle?

Damn, tech fall in 59 seconds more impressive then pin.

It was pretty impressive.

[naturalborn103]

I wrestled in Mass. My screen name is actually about wrestling. My freshman year I wrestled 103 and did not have to cut any weight to do it. That was my yahoo IM name back then (2000) and I still use it just cause easy to remember.

8th grade 103 (I really weighed like 80, but 103 lowest weight class)
9th 103 (weighted 90-100)
10 103 (cut down from 120)
11 112 (cut down from like 125)
12 125 ("cut" from 130. I said fuck cutting weight, I should be able to win without it)

Except for couple random RI or NH kids I didn't wrestle any kids from out of state during the season. I saw NY and PA kids in summer camps, summer tournaments, and for that one month I wrestled in college.

Mass does not hold a candle to NY wrestling, so it is a lot different winning stuff here then in NY. 8th grade we had a great 103 pounder so I only wrestled when they bumped him up or if he didn't show (he was a knucklehead. He later got arrested for throwing a prostitute out of a moving car while getting chased by the police.) Freshman year I came in 3rd in section and got beat up at states (D1). Sophomore yea I messed my knee up pretty bad in first couple of weeks and had to run stairs all practice every practice for rest of the year. I couldn't shoot great rest of my career cause of it. I ended up winning sectionals and coming 3rd in states that year. Junior year I won sectionals and didn't place in states. Senior year I won sectionals and got screwed in states semis.

I was being aggressor first period and they didnt call stalling on the guy until like 10 seconds left in period. 2nd period he was down and I rode him out with legs. In like last 20 seconds though I had threw in power half real deep and he screamed. They stopped the match but did not give me scream rule points (should be up 4-0 cause of it). 3rd period he was on top and I exposed my back for 2 seconds and he won 2-0. After that match his coach apologized to my coach for what happened. His coach was also head of the referee association in MA. End of the day I should of gotten up in 3rd and won anyway, but still. I got 3rd and that kid I lost to killed someone else in the finals to win. In all-states (D1-3) I did not care and just wanted it to end the season and lost my first 2 matches. That kid who beat me in semis in states ended up winning all states by beating another kid I had beaten earlier in the year in the all-state finals... I dwell on it way too much if you can't tell.

You have a son right? You going to try and get him into wrestling?

[ALASKA]

I wrestled in Mass. My screen name is actually about wrestling. My freshman year I wrestled 103 and did not have to cut any weight to do it. That was my yahoo IM name back then (2000) and I still use it just cause easy to remember.

8th grade 103 (I really weighed like 80, but 103 lowest weight class)
9th 103 (weighted 90-100)
10 103 (cut down from 120)
11 112 (cut down from like 125)
12 125 ("cut" from 130. I said fuck cutting weight, I should be able to win without it)

Except for couple random RI or NH kids I didn't wrestle any kids from out of state during the season. I saw NY and PA kids in summer camps, summer tournaments, and for that one month I wrestled in college.

Mass does not hold a candle to NY wrestling, so it is a lot different winning stuff here then in NY. 8th grade we had a great 103 pounder so I only wrestled when they bumped him up or if he didn't show (he was a knucklehead. He later got arrested for throwing a prostitute out of a moving car while getting chased by the police.) Freshman year I came in 3rd in section and got beat up at states (D1). Sophomore yea I messed my knee up pretty bad in first couple of weeks and had to run stairs all practice every practice for rest of the year. I couldn't shoot great rest of my career cause of it. I ended up winning sectionals and coming 3rd in states that year. Junior year I won sectionals and didn't place in states. Senior year I won sectionals and got screwed in states semis.

I was being aggressor first period and they didnt call stalling on the guy until like 10 seconds left in period. 2nd period he was down and I rode him out with legs. In like last 20 seconds though I had threw in power half real deep and he screamed. They stopped the match but did not give me scream rule points (should be up 4-0 cause of it). 3rd period he was on top and I exposed my back for 2 seconds and he won 2-0. After that match his coach apologized to my coach for what happened. His coach was also head of the referee association in MA. End of the day I should of gotten up in 3rd and won anyway, but still. I got 3rd and that kid I lost to killed someone else in the finals to win. In all-states (D1-3) I did not care and just wanted it to end the season and lost my first 2 matches. That kid who beat me in semis in states ended up winning all states by beating another kid I had beaten earlier in the year in the all-state finals... I dwell on it way too much if you can't tell.

You have a son right? You going to try and get him into wrestling?

That sucks. I still have those matches that piss me off. I also have a few that I am sure pissed off my opponent, shits I was losing pretty handily but because I had a good cowboy (which I didnt use nearly enough because my ankle pick was where my take down bread was buttered) I caught them at the end of the match for a lucky pinfall.

I actually have a daughter. A few years ago I went to the states and there was a girl wrestling in the 91 (or whatever it is now) finals. Thought that was impressive, though NY has changed the format from my day, when I was wrestling it was 1 tournament for all schools, only the sectional winner would advance. Now the have big school and small school and each section has 3 wildcards they can send along with the winners (which I think is good, we had a lot of guys in high school that were ranked one and two in the state but only one could make it).

If she wanted to I would let her wrestle, same if I had a son. I have a lot of mixed feelings on the sport, I think it does toughen you up, gives you a lot of discipline, but I realized when I went to the NCAAs a few years ago how cult like the culture is. It kind of freaked me out. One of my best friends went to Minnesota on a full ride and tells me horror stories about J. Robinson the treatment of the wrestlers, he ended up transfering out to nebraska because the culture there was just insane. He took 5th in the nation in his senior year.

what about you?

[naturalborn103]

Got to respect a girl in the finals. It would suck to be going against her though. Even if you win you don't really win.

I wont force him too, but I think my son is wrestling. I already taught him some basic moves and he LOVES to roughhouse. I also think it teaches you a lot of discipline and toughens you up. I never really experienced the cult like culture though because my team sucked. Before I got to HS we had a great coach but he left my freshman year. The asst coach took over and it fell apart ever since then. You mind sharing one of the horror stories? I do know that the J Robinson camp is supposed to be one of the hardest in the country.

On a side note, sounds like your school produced some great wrestlers.