The Final Death Nail to Wrestling has been done!

[cjc007]

..wrestling needs a need global governing body headed by the USA, Russia,and Iran.

..add 3 more weight classes, continue to have Worlds, etc.

..screw the IOC

..is handball still included, how about dressage?

[Mo_Manny]

Wow. I just read the Yahoo article. This would be a huge setback. And here I was thinking the next big announcement would be the addition of extra weight classes, which is sorely needed for the 145-184 range.

[PRyan2012]

Sorry guys if I offend anyone but my Aunt is a principal at a highschool. She lobbied for her school and the school system to get rid of all combat sports in school. For some reason she did not go after football but isntead went after wrestling first. And guess what she is a far left wing liberal and is a peace warrior she calls it. Our nation is headed down this track whether we like it or not. We will get taken over. I need to calm down is what I need to do. Again sorry if I offended anyone, really!

[judaspriest]

About the only thing that is left to do at this point is to use this to effectively drop the corrupt, incompetent and retarded IOC (and FILA while at it) and form a new organization of wrestling nations for world-level wrestling / grappling sports competitions. If that gains steam, could pull judo as well. Perhaps, go for combat sports altogether and get karate, taekwondo, boxing (need we start about the incompetence and outright corruption in boxing officiating??!) Political correnctnes enforcers may go after shooting next, get shooting in as well! Basically, leave the skateboardings, beach volleyballs and tug-of-war type of sports to IOC's Olympics

[zeeb]

Wow, that committee was totally dominated by Western Europe. And only one single grappler (the Judo guy from Ireland) in the entire group. Lots of Yacht guys though. No wonder they kept Modern Pentathlon.

[Cradle2grave]

It is late afternoon in Switzerland and FILA just posted a response about the announcement. They seem to have been caught completely flatfooted about a meeting that happened in their own backyard. How does that happen?

Going forward the best lobbying approach is to emphasize that the Olympics must remain globally relevent. It cannot be driven solely by western tastes and commercial interests. Cutting wrestling eliminates athletes and fans from dozens of non-western nations. How many of the flag bearers at the last opening ceremonies were wrestlers? Quite a few I recall. Hopefully the Russians and Azerbaijanis can put some of their big oil money to work! I would not be surprised to see Putin get involved in the appeal. His affinity for wrestling and judo are well known.

I can't help thinking about the Kumar ear-biting incident in the last games. Even though it was caught on tape FILA did absolutely nothing at the time or afterwards. Acted like it never happened. The sort of people who voted yesterday to cut wrestling don't want to see that kind of behavior in the Olympic games. Not saying this incident was a direct factor in the vote. What I am saying is FILA's failure to safeguard the image of the sport represents how out of touch they have become. "Know thy customer" is the maxim that comes to mind.

[judaspriest]

Sorry guys if I offend anyone but my Aunt is a principal at a highschool. She lobbied for her school and the school system to get rid of all combat sports in school. For some reason she did not go after football but isntead went after wrestling first. And guess what she is a far left wing liberal and is a peace warrior she calls it. Our nation is headed down this track whether we like it or not. We will get taken over. I need to calm down is what I need to do. Again sorry if I offended anyone, really!

I think you are forgetting that this country only has 1/2 as many self-identified liberals as conservatives. Surely, having a near-complete control of media and education, they seem louder and claim more support than they actually have. There is certainly a general drive against masculinity in any form, but so far the nature hasn't been fooled. There will be a ton of bullies in your aunt's school and plenty of kids who need to learn to defend themselves. That will mean less glory for the school and more money for the local adojos.

[Voice_of_the_Quakers]

Got to love the headline on the homepage, screaming, "Remain calm. All is well," like Kevin Bacon at the end of Animal House.

Unfortunately, FILA has no one to blame but itself. Just completely out of touch with reality and the sentiment of IOC. Their direction over the past two decades has turned the sport I grew up loving into something I don't recognize. Assuming no corruption is involved in the voting process, and that's a big if, their insistence on keeping Greco in the program after the IOC told them repeatedly to cut participants probably put the cherry on top of the cake for the executive committee.

As a previous poster suggested, time to get the US, Russia and Iran in a room and figure out what we want this sport to look like moving forward.

[RetiredPoster]

Synchronized Swimming?

Maybe it is time for a new "liked and respected" leader of FILA?

I bet the members of the IOC are not big Martinetti fans...It would not surprise me if Martinetti's arrogance had something to with this....

It's not over!!!

[TripNSweep]

Sorry guys if I offend anyone but my Aunt is a principal at a highschool. She lobbied for her school and the school system to get rid of all combat sports in school. For some reason she did not go after football but isntead went after wrestling first. And guess what she is a far left wing liberal and is a peace warrior she calls it. Our nation is headed down this track whether we like it or not. We will get taken over. I need to calm down is what I need to do. Again sorry if I offended anyone, really!

There aren't any other combat sports in high school besides wrestling. They got rid of boxing by the 60's in most places I think. Hawaii has Judo as a sport. You make it sound like she's picking on wrestling for some reason and it sounds a little misleading.

[madcat11]

I'm going to spend this day, and many more, in a dark room drinking scotch watching this on replay.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeLH1s1P9Ws

[rodneydeeeee]

Flood the IOC.

Check Caels twitter: http://twitter.com/JPPete14/status/3013 ... 92/photo/1

[madcat11]

knell

[Viking_Slap]

All,

Kudos to those that took the initiative to investigate the reason(s) for removing wrestling from the Olympics. Many of you have done a fantastic job in bringing a lot of facts that I did not know, especially the make up of the "board of the IOC"... frankly it is very political and money is persuasive. Some facts that I read from the various posts:

1. FILA did a poor job of lobbying

2. The Board of IOC is arguably not a big supporter of wrestling (by the was, what sport did Gunilla Lindberg participate in? She has been a member of the IOC since 1996).

3. FILA has done a bad job the last two Olympics in that there were scandals regarding to the rules. I recall seeing from Sweden a wrestler refusing to accept the bronze medal. Also, the last Olympics...again wrestling was mired in controversy. So, IOC has pretty much slapped FILA to do something in cleaning up the sport of wrestling as it is giving the IOC a headache (remember that Olympics is a money making machine!!!)

3. Having been to Lausanne (I work in Basel, Switzerland) and not far from me - I can say that the IOC is a "members only club" and they see themselves as diplomats and king makers, example is the scandal(s) regarding the money paid out (called lobbying) in having the games in a particular city.

4. Wow - saw the one post about the following two guys (K. Schormann -who is he?? and Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr.- his father was head of IOC for decades and made tons of cash regarding to sponsorships and branding the Olympic, don't forget the high costs for licensing!! You gotta love the comments below:

4.1
Klaus Schormann, president of governing body UIPM, lobbied hard to protect his sport's Olympic status and it paid off in the end.

"We have promised things, and we have delivered," he said after Tuesday's decision. "That gives me a great feeling. It also gives me new energy to develop our sport further and never give up."

4.2
Modern pentathlon also benefited from the work of Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr., the son of the former IOC president who is a UIPM vice president and a member of the IOC board.

"We were considered weak in some of the scores in the program commission report but strong in others," Samaranch told the AP. "We played our cards to the best of our ability and stressed the positives. Tradition is one of our strongest assets, but we are also a multisport discipline that produces very complete people."

ACTIONS:

1. All active wrestlers, former wrestler, wrestling enthusiasts, parents and just supporter that love the game must get in touch with their respective Country/National Clubs.

2. MAT.COM can act a conduit for people to coordinate. There is already a Facebook page with 52 members, which needs to grow to several million! => Save Olympic Wrestling 2020 !!!! http://www.facebook.com/groups/459578037431089/

3. Heavy lobbying (the idea of Putin making a pitch is not a bad idea!!! Afterall the greatest wrestler is a member of his politcal party = Alexsander Karelin !!) I hope that USA can get the lobbyists to push as they are good at that and have the money to push.

4. Ultimately - IOC has to see that Olympic wrestling is a "world sport" that draws millions of people and as the "oldest sport" in the Olympics, since 772 BC, you just can't boot it out for such sports that are in my opinion trends: roller blading or mountain climbing, etc.

Okay... I just got into this site and hope that the posts many are sharing will contribute to ACTION. I will keep checking the news in Switzerland and in Sweden. Good luck

[PRyan2012]

Sorry guys if I offend anyone but my Aunt is a principal at a highschool. She lobbied for her school and the school system to get rid of all combat sports in school. For some reason she did not go after football but isntead went after wrestling first. And guess what she is a far left wing liberal and is a peace warrior she calls it. Our nation is headed down this track whether we like it or not. We will get taken over. I need to calm down is what I need to do. Again sorry if I offended anyone, really!

There aren't any other combat sports in high school besides wrestling. They got rid of boxing by the 60's in most places I think. Hawaii has Judo as a sport. You make it sound like she's picking on wrestling for some reason and it sounds a little misleading.

Make it sound like. Uh, duh, she is picking on wrestling. And becasue I know her she would love to get rid of football too-she knows that is a losing battle-at least right now it is but that also in a few years will be on the chopping block, just wait and see.

[judaspriest]

I don't think flooding the IOC will help anything - they are, besides being corrupt and incompetent, completely disinterested in wrestling. I am sure they could be swayed by a sizable "investment" from an Azeri "investor", for example. But who cares. IOC, along with FILA, have long since outlived their usefulness and this moves them a step closer to being irrelevant. In the short term, this hurts us and our sport, but in the long it will hurt FILA and IOC as they are headed down the League of Nations road.

New wrestling organization by the countries interested in wrestling (no, it's not just Russia, USA and Iran - it's 15 former USSR republics, Easternn / Central Europe, Turkey, Cuba, Japan, the two Koreas to start with) is the way to go. This may even improve it for the fans IFF it actually happens and is done half decently. The Olympics is so huge and bureaucratic and overcrowded that it's really a nightmare to attend (or even live locally through).

[Viking_Slap]

The way to fight is to unite as Americans and boycot the sponsors.....

I am an average soda drinker and moderate McD visitor, but I bet I spend maybe $40 a month on those products. 2 million people x $40 a month equals $80,0000,0000 out of their pockets in one month. What kind of financial impact would that have over months, years? That is pressure!

With Twitter, Facebook and social media, it should be easy to create a movement that only requires a simple non-action such as not buying these products.

Those corporations and their corporate sponsorships have more influence on the IOC than any groups ever will.

I am sending out e-mails to those sponsors today and it is Dr. Pepper and Burger King for me for the next year!

Already starting! FACEBOOK page is opened and has 58 members and hopefully growing! http://www.facebook.com/groups/459578037431089/ // Save Olympic Wrestling 2020

[airmail]

New wrestling organization by the countries interested in wrestling (no, it's not just Russia, USA and Iran - it's 15 former USSR republics, Easternn / Central Europe, Turkey, Cuba, Japan, the two Koreas to start with) is the way to go. This may even improve it for the fans IFF it actually happens and is done half decently. The Olympics is so huge and bureaucratic and overcrowded that it's really a nightmare to attend (or even live locally through).

I agree and like this idea. If something like this went through, it would be nice to have the backing of the UFC. I'm obviously biased, but wrestlers have been backing the UFC forever, and have essentially made it what it is today. I'm just hoping MMA can somehow help the situation with some positive support.

[Tofurky]

What will be the response of USAW, the NWCA and the NCAA? Is it time for the US to put some of its money behind its international wrestling and begrudgingly look at rule changes to bring the American version of wrestling closer to the international version? If kids wrestling looked like the International disciplines, do more fans watch Olympic wrestling because they understand it better and it's something very much like in what their kids compete? Is this the IOC blackmailing USAW and the NCAA?

[Viking_Slap]

What will be the response of USAW, the NWCA and the NCAA? Is it time for the US to put some of its money behind its international wrestling and begrudgingly look at rule changes to bring the American version of wrestling closer to the international version? If kids wrestling looked like the International disciplines, do more fans watch Olympic wrestling because they understand it better and it's something very much like in what their kids compete? Is this the IOC blackmailing USAW and the NCAA?

From reading the articles in the international press, speaking with friends and most importantly ...the many posts that are on this website -- it seems that IOC is really tackling FILA for not doing more. Also, there is heavy criticism from the Russian in calling the head of FILA "not competent"! I don't think IOC has any knowledge of USAW or NCAA as from many posts on this website seem to show that the IOC board is a group of privileged dignitaries with NO knowledge of wrestling to begin with. There has simply been to many head-aches for IOC and FILA needs to clean-up or else. Real meeting is this week in Phuket, Thailand February 16/17.

By the way... why is Phuket, Thailand chosen?!?! Perhaps of the snow, winter darkness that is in Europe right now? Yes, I am here in Sweden currently and would like to be at that meeting in Thailand...... Keep finger crossed that strong lobbying and maybe?... changes in FILA leadership?.....

[Voice_of_the_Quakers]

What will be the response of USAW, the NWCA and the NCAA? Is it time for the US to put some of its money behind its international wrestling and begrudgingly look at rule changes to bring the American version of wrestling closer to the international version? If kids wrestling looked like the International disciplines, do more fans watch Olympic wrestling because they understand it better and it's something very much like in what their kids compete? Is this the IOC blackmailing USAW and the NCAA?

Let's see...

None from the NCAA, no, no, and no.

Folkstyle wrestling is as strong as it has been in the last 20 years. Meanwhile, the IOC just told FILA to flip off.

Which do you think makes more sense supporting at this time?

[JerseyJoey]

I think the impact on HS and college wrestling is being overstated. What are the most popular sports in the US? Football and baseball, neither of which is in the Olympics. What are the fastest growing sports? Lacrosse (not in Olympics) and soccer (watered down version in the Olympics.) Certainly we need to find other avenues to grow the sport, and we probably have to admit that UFC/MMA is one such area.

While I've always enjoyed freestyle, this also might demonstrate the need to grow folkstyle post-college.

[Tofurky]

Folkstyle wrestling is as strong as it has been in the last 20 years.

You cannot be serious with this assertion.

20 years ago there were 100-plus DI teams. Today there are 79.

20 years ago there were nearly 50 D-II programs. Today there are roughly the same amount.

20 years ago there were more than 110 D-III wrestling teams. Today there are 94.

20 years ago there were more than 80 NJCAA wrestling programs. Today there are 42.

20 years ago there were 21 NAIA programs. Today there are 41.

Beyond the NAIA, the numbers show that institutionally funded collegiate wrestling is nowhere near as strong as it was 20 years ago. Despite the growing number of youth and high school programs, collegiate wrestling is still shrinking as a whole.

[Voice_of_the_Quakers]

Folkstyle wrestling is as strong as it has been in the last 20 years.

You cannot be serious with this assertion.

20 years ago there were 100-plus DI teams. Today there are 79.

20 years ago there were nearly 50 D-II programs. Today there are roughly the same amount.

20 years ago there were more than 110 D-III wrestling teams. Today there are 94.

20 years ago there were more than 80 NJCAA wrestling programs. Today there are 42.

20 years ago there were 21 NAIA programs. Today there are 41.

Beyond the NAIA, the numbers show that institutionally funded collegiate wrestling is nowhere near as strong as it was 20 years ago. Despite the growing number of youth and high school programs, collegiate wrestling is still shrinking as a whole.

I believe I said folkstyle, not collegiate wrestling. And, except for Division I, which is a big exception, colleges are adding wrestling programs now, not dropping them.

Fans like yourself who believe that all would be right with American wrestling if we moved to FS/GR in high school/college are smoking something I would like to inhale.

Again, I would ask you, which is healthier: American wrestling of international FS/GR?

[TLS62pa]

Here's an easy way to get a start to get our voice out there. This was just started less than an hour ago

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petiti ... s/hr71txrz