No Holds Barred: International Olympic Committee Drops Wrestling for 2020 Summer Olympic Games

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses the decision by the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to drop wrestling from the program of the 2020 Summer Olympic Games.

Many people in the wrestling community have long criticized the poor and sometimes nonexistent promotion and marketing of wrestling, as well as the poor communications skills of many of those in charge of it. Now, it appears, the chickens have come home to roost, as other Olympic sports and those vying to get on the Olympic program have passed it by.

While the IOC could still reinstate wrestling for 2020 at its Executive Board meeting in St Petersburg, Russia, in May, or at its full IOC Session September 7-10 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, that is highly unlikely unless wrestling makes some dramatic changes in the few months before those meetings.

We also play the audio of the February 12 press briefing with the IOC Communications Director, Mark Adams, which officially announced that wrestling was being dropped by the IOC.

Here is the February 12 news release by the IOC announcing that wrestling was being dropped:

IOC Executive Board recommends 25 core sports for 2020 Games

The Executive Board (EB) of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) today agreed on the 25 sports it will propose to the 125th IOC Session for approval as the core sports for the 2020 Summer Olympic Games.

The 25 sports are: athletics, rowing, badminton, basketball, boxing, canoeing, cycling, equestrian, fencing, football, gymnastics, weightlifting, handball, hockey, judo, swimming, modern pentathlon, taekwondo, tennis, table tennis, shooting, archery, triathlon, sailing and volleyball.

The EB recommended that wrestling, governed by the International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles (FILA), not be included on the list of core sports. Wrestling will now join the seven shortlisted sports – baseball/softball, karate, roller sports, sport climbing, squash, wakeboarding and wushu – vying for inclusion in the 2020 Olympic programme as an additional sport.

The eight sports are scheduled to make presentations to the Executive Board at its meeting in St Petersburg, Russia, in May. The EB will select which of the eight sports to recommend to the 125th IOC Session for inclusion as an additional sport on the 2020 programme.

In an effort to ensure the Olympic Games remain relevant to sports fans of all generations, the Olympic Programme Commission systematically reviews every sport following each edition of the Games.

Golf and rugby sevens were added in 2009 as additional sports to the 2016 Olympic programme.

The 125th IOC Session will take place from 7 to 10 September in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

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Thanks, Eddie Goldman http://eddiegoldman.com

That is ridiculous that wrestling, with all of its history in the Olympics, will be cut in 2020.

Listen to the show. It is not about the sport of wrestling itself, but the lack of proper promotion of it. And I'm on it.

nhbnews wrote:Listen to the show. It is not about the sport of wrestling itself, but the lack of proper promotion of it. And I'm on it.

I will be listening in. Good to hear that it could still be reinstated.

Way to be a head of everybody on top of the core issues Eddie. I'm just dumbfounded.

nhbnews wrote:Listen to the show. It is not about the sport of wrestling itself, but the lack of proper promotion of it. And I'm on it.

Large part of why the modern pentathlon was retained.

I recall the IOC saying that the pentathlon coalition "lobbied" hard to remain an Olympic sport.

We all know what they mean by "lobbying"