Wrestling Eliminated from Olympics

[escaflowne9282]

And why is wushu even considered? It's such a niche sport...



Equality says hello.

So let's introduce men's synchronized swimming and men's rhythmic gymnastics?
Equality has nothing to do with it; it's all about money and sponsorships.
The IOC refused to introduce women's ski jumping event though that proposed event would have many more competitve countries.

Women's hockey has turned out to be the biggest niche sport of all.It has been between Canada and the US since its inception. It's a challenge for many other competing countries to even field a team, whereas these two countries have regular leagues. The IOC was sold a bridge in Brooklyn regarding the introduction of this sport to the Olympics. They were lead to believe that it was a fully contested competitive sport . It's such a waste of ice time , Olympic housing , and medals.

[Jenny]

The IOC was sold a bridge in Brooklyn regarding the introduction of this sport to the Olympics. They were lead to believe that it was a fully contested competitive sport .

Sold, or bought? If the IOC didn't do their own research, then one can hardly blame a sport for seeking to raise its prestige and promote itself.

Also, it's worth noting that for the first 70 years of men's hockey at the Olympics, with one bizarre exception in the 1930s, gold medals were won by just two entities - Canada and the Soviet Union/Unified team. For that matter, until 1952, Canada took gold every time except once.

But today, men's Olympic hockey is very competitive - so maybe the thinking is that by investing in women's hockey and building its popularity, there will come a day when more countries participate and win gold medals.

[kwanfan1818]

Women's hockey might not have a league, but they have a quasi farm system in US universities. When they did player bios on the players in Vancouver, many of the players from Scandinavia and were playing for American schools, which may lead to more parity.

What winter sports are impacted by the inclusion of women's hockey, were there a limit, like what's affecting wrestling in the Summer Olympics? Women's ski jumping is one I know.

[heckles]

MMA actually came out of martial arts, hence the name. Professional wrestling is doing its best to pretend that MMA doesn't exist.

MMA doesn't think much of wrestling, either. Former wrestlers in the MMA who are too quick to fight on the ground are called "ground-and-pounders" in a derogatory way.

[manhn]

How does women's hockey affect the organization of the Games? There's the extra lodging. They use the same arena as the men's hockey for the medal-round games and "big" round-robin games. There was a second arena in the 2010 Games for some of they round robin games--not sure if a second arena would still have been required if it was just men's hockey. Wasn't that the main reason baseball and softball were eliminated--one had to build unique infrastructure for that sport.

Unlike the summer games, there are not a lot of team sports (I don't count anything involving relays or pairs or ice dance or whatever that speed skating thing was as true team events). There's hockey, curling...am I missing anything? I think women's hockey (and the further development of it around the globe) is an important part of the winter games organization.

[Ziggy]

So let's introduce men's synchronized swimming and men's rhythmic gymnastics?

Yes, let's!

And women's ski jumping too, of course.

[maatTheViking]

Denmark just missed qualifying their women's hockey team for Sochi, so I doubt there is a lack of countries able to field a team. The fact that 2 countries are miles ahead of everyone else is a different problem.

[escaflowne9282]

Sold, or bought? If the IOC didn't do their own research, then one can hardly blame a sport for seeking to raise its prestige and promote itself.

Also, it's worth noting that for the first 70 years of men's hockey at the Olympics, with one bizarre exception in the 1930s, gold medals were won by just two entities - Canada and the Soviet Union/Unified team. For that matter, until 1952, Canada took gold every time except once.

But today, men's Olympic hockey is very competitive - so maybe the thinking is that by investing in women's hockey and building its popularity, there will come a day when more countries participate and win gold medals.

I could understand that line of thinking, but then the IOC got rid of softball and baseball in the summer games, citing them as being non-competitive, even though there seemed to be a greater variety of countries playing and winning medals. Baseball only went from 1992-2008 and Softball 1996-2008 (with the decision to get rid of both coming in 2005). The playing field in women's hockey seems to be much less egalitarian than either of these two sports.

Outside of the US and Canada, many countries don't really invest as much(if any) money in women's hockey as they do men's. The result is that the US and Canada wind up with a disproportionately stronger pool of talent and resources, and wind up with uncompetitive game after uncompetitive game( with still no talk of women's ski jumping or bobsled...:: ). Rogge himself commented that there was very little improvement in the situation as of Vancouver.

I don't hate women's hockey, but it seems as though, there needed to be more consideration upon including it on the Olympic roster. I do agree that the IOC needed to research it considerably more.

[manhn]

Winter Olympics does not have the same issues of having too many sports and experiencing escalating costs like the Summer Games does. So, just because a summer sport is eliminated doesn't mean a winter sport has to be eliminated.

[Habs]

with still no talk of women's ski jumping or bobsled...:: ).

Women's bobsleigh has been in the Olympics since 2002.

[escaflowne9282]

Winter Olympics does not have the same issues of having too many sports and experiencing escalating costs like the Summer Games does. So, just because a summer sport is eliminated doesn't mean a winter sport has to be eliminated.

I realize that. I just find some of the overall general justifications previously used by the IOC to get rid of sports deemed unnecessary and the lack of inclusion of other sports, while introducing, or attempting to introduce sports that are more niche, to be somewhat incongruous . No wrestling, or baseball, no women's ski-jumping , but bringing in golf , keeping women's hockey, and introducing the ski-cross ?

Women's bobsleigh has been in the Olympics since 2002.

You're right, it was the 4 man bobsled I was thinking of .

[Domshabfan]

Not including baseball in the Olympic program is very understable since it is only popular in few countries. On top of this non of the big names in the sport compete at the Olympics.

I can see many are unhappy about women's ski-jumping is not an Olympic event. Are you guys bit late in your protest especially since women's ski-jumping is going to be a Olympic event in Sochi.

Women's ski jumping was initially rejected by IOC since the event wasn't a competitive event, among many other reasons. However after some protest ioc decided to add the event. Women on compete on the NOrmal hill and not on large hill like the men. Though Nordic combined is still strictly men's event.

[Seregil]

Who says wrestling has to be a summer sport? If there is room in the winter Olympics, move wrestling there. Wrestlers are no more underdressed than the ice dancers.

[overedge]

Who says wrestling has to be a summer sport? If there is room in the winter Olympics, move wrestling there. Wrestlers are no more underdressed than the ice dancers.

Wrestlers don't wear enough sequins

[Cachoo]

I heard a NPR story on this (related link below but not as descriptive). The gist I got from it is that the individual members of the IOC who voted on this just didn't have any personal stake with wrestling and somehow they did with other sports. So it was a personal interest decison.

Those guys are, in short, a**holes.

http://www.npr.org/2013/02/12/171837...ter-2016-games

NPR reported today that the US and Iran are both protesting the decision which might be the first thing the two countries agree on in some time.

[kwanfan1818]

Not including baseball in the Olympic program is very understable since it is only popular in few countries.

Besides the US and Japan, baseball is immensely popular in the Taiwan, the Caribbean, including Cuba and the Dominican Republic, and Central America. It targets part of the world where many of the nations' teams are focused on a few sports, like boxing, martial arts, or table tennis.

On top of this non of the big names in the sport compete at the Olympics.

I would think this would be a positive thing.

NPR reported today that the US and Iran are both protesting the decision which might be the first thing the two countries agree on in some time.

All of the lip-service to applauding the Middle Eastern nations for being more inclusive of women, how happy to highlight athletes from traditionally Muslim countries, how Istanbul has a great chance at winning a bid in the next two Summer Olympics, blah, blah, they try to cut a freaking sport that is important in South Europe and the Middle East. How bright of them.

[Buzz]

Is there a petition we could sign or something?!

[love_skate2011]

wrong decision

now they unleashed alot of critcisms from countries with Wrestling powers like Iran, Russia, Japan etc.
even in the US

now I say remove dressage, ping pong or horsebackriding
golf ? lol

[Buzz]

Saw the news piece about the US and Iran working together to get wrestling back in the games.

[Domshabfan]

The president of the international wrestling federation (FILA), Raphael Martinetti (SUI) has resigned as the president few days ago, Nenad Lalovic (SRB) is the interim president till the election takes place in September.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/wrestling/21483945