IOC drops Wrestling from 2020 Olympics

**Chili Pepper** · Posted On: 2/12/2013 3:32pm

Originally Posted by Permalost

The Olympics is trying to keep the former pope from becoming a wrestling champion?

Exactly! Why didn't we see this coming??

**Nickosaurus** · Posted On: 2/12/2013 4:01pm

Originally Posted by W. Rabbit

Judo and wrestling never needed the Olympics anyway.

Maybe not, but it will be harder for NGB to get funding without Olympic status. Say Judo lost it status then that would be 6 Million Pounds out of the sport in the U.K.

Would it be a bad thing? For elite athletes yes, for the average recreational player?

**Dracula** · Posted On: 2/12/2013 5:10pm

Wrestling has to be in the Olympics. Every culture on Earth has some manner of folk wrestling, it's such a huge part of cultural traditions all over the world that excluding would be the biggest mistake the IOC could make.

Does TKD really have a bigger draw than wrestling? I'm honestly asking, not a single person I know seems to care about it being in the olympics. Are there any numbers out there to compare the popularity of different olympic sports??

**huge** · Posted On: 2/12/2013 5:17pm

Originally Posted by Rene "Zendokan" Gysenbergs

<snip>
See how many attention these games got compaired to the Olympic Games (on world level).
- World Games: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Games
- Commonwealth Games: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonwealth_Games
- World Combat Games: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Combat_Games

Man, I really want to watch some World Combat Games now. It sounds cool.

**Permalost** · Posted On: 2/12/2013 5:41pm

Originally Posted by W. Rabbit

There is a positive side to all of this.

Judo and wrestling never needed the Olympics anyway.

You know what kind of "sports" need the Olympics?

This ****:

**** NO.

The Olympics isn't supposed to be a place to pay lip service to lame sports that nobody likes for 3/4 of every 4 years. Its where the best in the world can compete against each other. I don't even know if you can rightly call a ribbon twirling exhibition a competition at all. Plenty of us like having a venue where world champion calibre wrestlers can really test each other, and couldn't care less about what sport "needs" the Olympics. Wrestling can do fine without it to be sure, as evidence by every impromptu sibling wrestling match ever, but that doesn't mean that other non-sports should get its spot.

**P Marsh** · Posted On: 2/12/2013 7:57pm

I think I just figured out why they may have done this. Now 2016 is in Rio right and the event holders get to add in one or two new events for their Olympics. Put two and two together coupled with the rise of MMA and its popularity in Brazil and you have to be paste-eating retarded not to realize we're going to get Olympic Brazilian Jiujutsu.

This might possibly be a preemptive and admittedly ill-thought out motion to 'capitalize' on the MMA craze and how BJJ was popularized during most of its rise.

**Permalost** · Posted On: 2/12/2013 9:06pm

People talk about the Olympics promoting peace and unity may appreciate this sentiment: being peaceful after twirling a ribbon is not inspiring or challenging. However, two wrestlers trying to slam, wrench and bulldog each other to the mat, then smiling and shaking hands after a physical battle, represents exactly the kind of unity that the Olympics should promote. To throw everything you have at your opponent and expect that in return, and be friends at the end of the day.

**wikidbounce** · Posted On: 2/12/2013 10:27pm

There should be more wrestling in the Olympics not less. Damn it I want chariot racing too.

...and Pankration, but that's a whole different can of worms that needs it's own thread.

I'd love to see the ancient Olympic Pentathalon make a come back though.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Olympic_pentathlon

Five events were contested over one day, starting with the long jump, javelin throw, and discus throw, followed by the stadion (a short foot race) and wrestling. Pentathletes were considered to be among the most skilled athletes, and their training was often part of military service—each of the five events was thought to be useful in battle.

**FinalLegion** · Posted On: 2/12/2013 11:14pm

I was pretty floored by this. Wrestling, IMO, has been one of the linchpins of Olympic-level competitiveness. I always found it to be one of the more exciting events to watch and, as Permalost pointed out, we get to see two guys show camaraderie and courtesy to each other after spending a bit of time throwing, slamming and trying to pin each other. It was one of those sports that, to me, always instilled a sense of honor and unity amongst the competitors...and now it's going to be gone. That sucks.

**judojeff** · Posted On: 2/13/2013 11:19am

As I stated before this is total bullshit, what I am wondering is what effect this will have on entry level wrestling. At least in the US there is no real big name wrestling event out side of the olympics. When I wrestled in high school the olympics was the only time I saw wrestling televised. With this change there really isnt much to draw in new wrestlers, at least in the US. I am worried that we will see a drop in a sport that already has trouble competing with other sports in the US.