Wrestling Eliminated from Olympics

[GarrAarghHrumph]

The IOC has voted to eliminate wrestling from the Olympics. To be honest, I am shocked. Wrestling is one of those sports where multiple countries tend to win medals, where many countries, including countries that don't have a ton of money for sports, do well. Why a sport with such a big international rate of participation? If they were going to get rid of something, why not cycling, with its apparently wide-spread doping?

[Yehudi]

Utterly ridiculous. It's more popular than modern pentathlon in terms of spectator appeal and participation, there haven't been too many doping scandals that I can think of, and it's not dominated by one country. And it's been in the Olympics since Ancient times.

[BlueRidge]

Not that I follow wrestling, but I read this and was completely mystified. Wrestling seems like a quintessential Olympic sport to me. What is this about??

[Fridge_Break]

Wrestling is dropped and GOLF is added for 2016? WTF??

[DarrellH]

There are some countries that send athletes for only this sport.

[Mayra]

Not that I follow wrestling, but I read this and was completely mystified. Wrestling seems like a quintessential Olympic sport to me. What is this about??

My guess? The bottom line $$$.

What a shame.

[Jenny]

I wonder about cost. Perhaps it's not popular with the broadcasters (but then again, if you don't show it, it's not going to be popular), or ticket sales are an issue (but aren't Olys tickets often sold in blocks with multiple events?), but as for staging it, I would think it's among the least expensive sports. It doesn't require a dedicated facility, and the only staging is the flooring, no? No equipment costs, no lights/sound (ie skating, gymnastics), no facilities management (ie snow sports), etc.

The whole thing sounds rather arbitrary to me, and the one criteria that should be most important (although I recognize issues of cost, revenues etc must be considered) is the original ideal of the Olys: higher, faster, stronger. I'm no wrestling fan, but there are a lot of events I'd ditch before it.

[Domshabfan]

My guess? The bottom line $$$.

What a shame.

I would have thought they would axe Taekwondo before Wrestling but then again it is good to have a string sponsor like Samsung on your team. Really sad day for Olympics program.

[BlueRidge]

I would have thought they would axe Taekwondo before Wrestling but then again it is good to have a string sponsor like Samsung on your team. Really sad day for Olympics program.

Maybe that's it? Not the cost of staging but the lack of sponsorship interests?

[michiruwater]

I don't watch wrestling, and I'm not hugely invested in the summer Olympics, and I'm still shocked and kind of angry about this.

[Mayra]

Maybe that's it? Not the cost of staging but the lack of sponsorship interests?

That's what I meant by the bottom line. Sure wrestling might not cost much to put on, but it probably isn't bringing in much revenue either. Nor would it bring the kind of revenue some of these new Olympic sports are going to bring in. Golf pretty much comes with big name stars built in. This amounts to increase ticket sales, publicity, sponsorship opportunities and other revenue they just weren't getting with wrestling.

[BlueRidge]

That makes sense. But. Golf. is. not. an. Olympic sport!

(Nothing against golf, neither is baseball!)

[Domshabfan]

Maybe that's it? Not the cost of staging but the lack of sponsorship interests?

Wrestling has no shortage of sponsors but non of them are IOC sponsors, i think wrestling has any sponsors issue at all, I would surely like them to publish IOC findings and what lead to this IOC decision. A big giant like Samsung surely can save Taekwondo, otherwise it make no sense... a sport which had to limit the number of entries in the sport per country so that a country outside of south korea will get a sniffing chance at the gold medal. Teakwondo usually has more controversial decision can think... this is IOC at its worst behaviour...

[AYS]

It's one of the sports that has its roots in the Ancient Greek Olympics! Really bad decision!

[Skittl1321]

Everything I have read says that wrestling will be judged against the sports looking to gain entry into the Olympics, so it is highly unlikely, but it supposedly could still be in.

I wonder is female participation part of the decision? That seems to be the reason to keep cycling (which is a ridiculously doped sport, and doping was supposedly part of the decisions- it seems most of the females ride clean.)


Locally, wrestling is HUGE- so people are really up in arms. But I find it kind of funny, because during the Olympics there were these massive campaigns about the rules- because it isn't the kind of wrestling done around here.

[manhn]

I don't get this. Not only do a lot of countries participate in the sport, a lot of countries actually do well in it on an Olympic level. I don't follow it outside the Olympics but unlike a lot of those other "mat sports", I understand what is going and why a competitor scored a point.

[GarrAarghHrumph]

Everything I have read says that wrestling will be judged against the sports looking to gain entry into the Olympics, so it is highly unlikely, but it supposedly could still be in.

I've also read that it would be nearly impossible for it to get back in so soon after being cut.

[MR-FAN]

I'm someone who is not very interested in wrestling, never watched it, and is still pissed at this decision. I'm sorry, some events must remain sacred when it comes to the Olympics regardless of how popular they are, and to me those include sprinting, marathon, swimming, weight lifting and yes, wrestling. I mean really??? They keep field hockey and cancel wrestling??? What a bunch of morons. Everyone voting probably just went with sport their country is least likely to medal at or which brings in the least amount of money

Just reading about the voting process makes you realize how stupid it was. Good job IOC, way to alianate nations with barely any sporting legacy besides wrestling.

I'm kind of shocked at how angry this news made me

[Jenny]

Again, if it's not popular enough then maybe the IOC and their broadcasters need to put more effort into promoting it, and educating Olys fans on its finer points.

I for one would rather see more medal events and less heats and qualifying rounds, which would give opportunities to more sports to get recognition.

[DarrellH]

That makes sense. But. Golf. is. not. an. Olympic sport!

(Nothing against golf, neither is baseball!)

Shooting.