Wrestling dropped

[Gantry]

Chun, Cejudo, Gardner, Herbert & Burroughs - Statements from Olympians past and present on IOC Executive Committee announcement on wrestling | TheMat.com - USA Wrestling

[GAGE]

Ruined my lifelong dream... Damn.:

[ODH]

ESPN Video Interview with Daniel Cormier:

IOC drops wrestling from 2020 Olympics - ESPN

I noticed in that article Leipold is quoted as 200 Olympic champion.

I have been reading lots of articles today. Here is one the best I have read so far:

Y! SPORTS

[Spider]

The article makes an excellent point. Thanks, ODH.

[Flop The Nuts]

Nice little article on ESPN.
Five Olympic sports that should get the boot before wrestling - ESPN

[chocell]

I think some of these may have been posted already, but just a reminder to show your support...

The White House Petition: https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/pet...-2020/ClDPYshl

The Change.org petition: http://www.change.org/petitions/the-...ympicwrestling

Please sign both of them if you already have not!

[Gantry]

Here's a good LA Times articles on the thought processes & lobbying behind the IOC and their cutting of sports:

Elimination of Olympic wrestling shines light on IOC politics - latimes.com

[ODH]

Nice little article on ESPN.
Five Olympic sports that should get the boot before wrestling - ESPN

I like this blog and 100% agree with four of the sports he selects, but I don't like the bashing of table tennis. At the Olympic level it is a very competitive, highly skilled and dynamic sport. It matters a lot in many Asian countries. Just because it is not a big sport in the US, does not mean we should not respect it.

Pingpong: Yeah, I know it's called table tennis. But anything you play in your parents' basement can hardly be considered a sport more worthy of the Olympics than wrestling

You can also wrestle in your parent's backyard, but not at the Olympic level.

[oldfart]

Deflating. Have been depressed since I heard the news but as everyone has been saying, this isn't a 100% done deal, although it sounds pretty concrete. The one shot wrestling has at making it in 2020 is the tenacity of its constituent wrestlers, coaches, and fans, who will all fight it out until the last second. Another thing I have been impressed with is the number of non-wrestling fans who have come to wrestling's defense and have basically said that an Olympics without wrestling isn't the Olympics.

I understand the need for a governance that organizes the Olympic operations but it seems insane to me that decisions like this are made by a small committee. Shouldn't the determination of the individual sporting events within the premier global sporting festival be made in a vote by all countries participating?

If indeed wrestling does get cut for the 2020 games, the trials in 2016 (in all countries) and the Olympic tournament are going to be the most insane and intense events ever seen. Guys are literally going to be tearing each other apart to first get that spot on the team, and then get those medals.