Wrestling  Scrambles  for  an  Olympic  Spot  

 Chris  Yankowich  

Claim  l  Dropping  wrestling  from  the  2020  Olympics  would  be  an  irra?onal  decision  due  to  the  historical  value  and  the  individuality  of  the  sport.    The  global  wrestling  community  must  unite  and  collaborate  in  an  aCempt  to  save  Olympic  wrestling.  

Not  this  kind  of  wrestling  

Olympic  Wrestling  Tradi?on  l  Appeared  in  first  ancient  Olympic  Games  in  708.      

l  Since  then,  the  sport  has  appeared  in  every  modern  Olympics  except  for  the  1900  Games  in  France    

Wrestling  Before  the  Olympics  l  Role  of  wrestling  in  ancient  civiliza?ons  

l  Cave  drawings  of  wrestling  date  back  to  3,000  B.C.  

The  Decision  -­‐This  past  February  the  Interna?onal  Olympic  CommiCee  takes  wrestling  out  of  2020  Olympics  

-­‐Based  on  “39  criteria,  including  TV  ra?ngs,  ?cket  sales,  an?-­‐doping  policy  and  global  par?cipa?on  and  popularity”  (ESPN)    

Interna?onal  Olympic  CommiCee  l  Organiza?on  created  to  promote  Olympic  ideals  

Corrup?on  and  the  IOC  l  In  his  peer  reviewed  journal  ar?cle,  Daniel  Mason  reveals,  “It  was  reported  that  accep?ng  bribes,  including  redeeming  first  class  airline  ?ckets  for  cash  and  accep?ng  gi^s  such  as  jewelry,  video  equipment,  and  expensive  artwork,  was  common  prac?ce  among  many  IOC  members”    

More  corrup?on  l  Juan  Antonio  Samaranch  and  the  modern  pentathlon  

Popularity  of  Wrestling  l  IOC  claimed  the  sport  lacked  global  interest  

l  “nearly  200  na?ons  from  all  con?nents  show  par?cipa?on  in  the  sport”  (CPOW)    

 

l  NCAA  Tournament  

l  Countries  like  Iran  and  Uzbekistan      

Other  Sports  l  Modern  pentathlon,  rhythmic  gymnas?cs,  equestrian,  and  synchronized  swimming    

l  Were  not  in  Olympics  un?l  a^er  1900,  and  they  have  low  popularity  levels  

Wrestling  Relies  on  Olympics  l  Sanderson:  “When  you  have  your  Super  Bowl  every  four  years,  if  you  take  that  away,  that’s  a  scary  thing.”  

l  Sourian:  “Training  is  hard,  you  suffer  to  become  the  best.  If  there  are  no  Games,  there  is  no  mo?va?on.’’  

Acknowledgment  l  Wrestling  is  outdated  

l  The  Games  should  change  with  the  ?mes  to  allow  for  more  excitement  

Response  l  Olympics  are  based  on  tradi?on  

l  The  sport  is  s?ll  exci?ng  and  draws  interest  

Individuality  of  Wrestling  l  Sport,  which  relies  on  the  Games,  is  too  valuable  to  be  eliminated  from  the  Olympic  program  

l  Ideas  of  responsibility  and  pride  

Dan  Gable  l  “More  enduringly  than  any  other  sport,  wrestling  teaches  self-­‐control  and  pride.  Some  have  wrestled  without  great  skill  -­‐  none  have  wrestled  without  pride.”    

Solu?ons  l  Categoriza?on  of  synchronized  swimming  and  rhythmic  gymnas?cs    

l  Rule  changes  in  the  sport  

“Save  Olympic  Wrestling”  Tournaments  l  CommiCee  for  the  Preserva?on  of  Olympic  Wrestling    

l  Worldwide  tournaments  to  raise  money  

Conclusion  l  September:  final  decision,  26th  sport  

l  Without  Olympics,  the  sport  would  likely  lose  large  amounts  of  popularity  and  par?cipa?on  

 

l  Wrestling  embodies  the  ideals  of  tradi?on  and  pride  in  which  the  Olympics  were  created  upon