I'll bite. As a former season ticket holder to Iowa Hawkeye wrestling (yes, they sometimes sellout their 15,000 seat arena) I can't believe this move. Nothing is more olympics than wrestling. Nothing.

i posted this in another thread since i didn't see this one:

i can kind of understand taking baseball out of the olympics considering the lack of major leaguers and the overall lack of interest, but why the hell would they get rid of wrestling? forget for a second that wrestling has a history going back to ancient greece, and just focus on the fact that it's the perfect sport for an international competition. you can be competitive in it regardless of whether you come from a country with money or without, with more than 1 billion people or with less than 1 million, whether you're from africa or siberia, or iran or brazil, whether you're 120 lbs or 280, you can compete and you can win.

it is unfathomable to me that this could even be considered, let alone be done.

I love the Olympics, but I really, really hate the IOC.

So, yes to field hockey and no to wrestling. Makes perfect sense.

So, yes to field hockey and no to wrestling. Makes perfect sense.

I'm assuming gender considerations factor into that?

The Olympic wrestling has slowly become unwatchable over the last few games. Maybe a big kick in the balls is what the sport needs.

Does this mean Ric Flair has to give back his medals?

Nothing is more olympics than wrestling. Nothing.

Yep.

I'm assuming gender considerations factor into that?

There has been women's freestyle wrestling at the last three Olympics. So probably no.

I'm glad modern pentathlon made the cut, but dropping wrestling is just a terrible idea.

Nothing is more olympics than wrestling. Nothing.

Yep.

I was going to mention "nothing is more Olympics than wrestling...than nude wrestling."

I'm glad we're cutting down on the frou frou and getting down to the core sports that the Olympics were always about, like dancing with a colorful ribbon or dancing with your friend in the water. Maybe if we can cut out some of these track & field events (running around an oval? what year are we in that that's entertaining? 3?), they'll have room for compelling, modern events like double-dutch.

The 26 limit for the Olympics is just ridiculousness. You're telling me that only 26 sports can be considered 'Olympic worthy'? YOU ALLOW RHYTHM GYMNASTICS FOR CHRIST SAKES.

I love the Olympics, but I really, really hate the IOC.

Get in line. I mean, I WANT baseball to be in the Olympics, but it's not a necessity to either baseball or the Olympics. But wrestling NEEDS to be in the Olympics, and the Olympics NEED wrestling to be in it. It's a sport that often provides some of the best moments, and unlike some sports it isn't really dominated by any one country. Sure, Eastern Europe and the USA do the best, but Canada and the Mid-East do well too. As opposed to, say, table tennis, which is 100% Asian dominated, or rhythmic gymnastics, which basically is a showcase simply for Eastern Europe and occasionally China.

And, besides, WRESTLING HAS BEEN IN THE OLYMPICS SINCE ANCIENT ####### TIMES! I mean, jeez, why not remove Track and Field while you are at it?

I still say that the Olympics should be something like 20 sports that are always in and never are removed (and Wrestling would be one of them), and then 6+ sports (depending on finances and available venues) that can be left up to the host, so long as those sports have been "recognized" by the IOC.

So, like, if the USA had the Olympics, then baseball and softball would definitely be in while a sport like table tennis or handball might not be. On the other hand, though, if Turkey got the Olympics (they are in the running for 2020), then baseball and softball probably wouldn't be played, but other sports that are more popular or played more in Turkey could be.

[10] The Olympics could use more authentic nude events.

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=gymnasium&allowed_in_frame=0

gymnasium (n.) 1590s, "place of exercise," from Latin gymnasium "school for gymnastics," from Greek gymnasion "public place where athletic exercises are practiced; gymnastics school," in plural, "bodily exercises," from gymnazein "to exercise or train," literally or figuratively, literally "to train naked," from gymnos "naked"

Stephen Fry told me that Greek athletes weren't entirely unadorned. They did have a bit of string tied off around their genitals to keep them from flopping about (and which their coaches could tug on to get their attention).

QI is where I turn to get all my most accurate historical information.

The is may be the death for wrestling in the US with so many colleges having dumped it, the loss of its olympic status could cause more schools to drop it

Men's field hockey is huge in the Indian subcontinent.

I think they should have more swimming events.
Not really.

Memo to IOC: If someone can win 7 or 8 medals in the same Olympics, that's a bug, not a feature. It means you have too many events in that sport.

Just as with baseball, wrestling is a victim of a crooked, Western Europe-dominated IOC. Baseball is popular in Asia and the Americas, but not Western Europe, so its out. Wrestling is huge pretty much everywhere but Western Europe, so its out. Of course, with baseball there were at least a few legitimate factors that cut against inclusion. Here, its next to impossible to see what legitimate factors cut against wrestling relative to about half of the other sports. Modern pentathlon is an obvious one, but what is the legitimate argument for cutting wrestling and keeping archery? Badminton? Canoeing? Judo? Rowing? Sailing? Shooting? Taekwondo? Its not TV ratings or attendance. Its sure as hell not "global participation and popularity." I don't know anything about the anti-doping policy of wrestling, but I haven't heard anything particularly negative and apparently cycling is OK, so I can't imagine that's a factor.

If only there were a world government so I could write my representative to complain.

I love the Olympics, but I really, really hate the IOC.

So much this.

WRESTLING HAS BEEN IN THE OLYMPICS SINCE ANCIENT ####### TIMES!

One word: Pankration.

the pentathalon had one of their biggest supporters on the committee voting. so that helped the sport staying on the docket

old ex-wrestler and coach so this cuts to the quick for me. i always tuned in olympic wrestling, both freestyle and greco=roman

sighn

Checking http://www.olympic.org/sports I see the sports that are still there...
Triathalon, rowing, sailing, shooting, archery, judo, modern pentathlon, canoeing/kayak, aquatics, athletics, equestrian, gymnastics, taekwondo, boxing, weightlifting, golf, fencing, cycling, volleyball, field hockey, basketball, handball, football (soccer), rugby, badminton, table tennis, tennis.

That's 27 sports plus wrestling. Guessing a couple of cases are merged but listed separately for some reason. Now, can someone explain why equestrian is there, or sailing? Both sports purely for the rich with minimal if any TV audience. Shooting? That makes golf look exhausting. Pentathlon is just a bizarre mix. Weightlifting should probably be removed due to the crazy level of PED use - the average weightlifter makes Barry Bonds look normal. The rest I can see an argument for (table tennis is very big in Asia for example) but those ones are just weird to keep over wrestling, baseball, squash and probably a few of the others in consideration.

If roller sports gets in though I'd have to say the IOC has really 'jumped the shark'...heck, jumped every shark there is.

I'm hoping the plan is to replace plain old boring wrestling with awesome cool pro-wrestling.

I'm hoping the plan is to replace plain old boring wrestling with awesome cool pro-wrestling.

i'd pay good money to see a grudge match between cliff compton and power uti.

the pentathalon had one of their biggest supporters on the committee voting. so that helped the sport staying on the docket

Yeah, apparently it had a lot to do with the fact that Antonio Samaranch's son is a big-time name in Modern Pentathlon. Of course, Samaranch, if memory serves, was a "Big Olympics" kind of guy who didn't mind having lots of sports in the games. Compare that to Rogge, who is generally a "small games" kind of guy, and who basically drove the movement to have the amount of sports be capped. It'll be interesting to see who takes over for him, and whether he's a big games guy or a small games guy.


I agree with the principle behind it- it allows smaller countries to host Olympic games, for example- but that it forces all these sports to go against each other leaves a sour taste in my mouth. That's another reason why I like my idea of having 20 or so sports guaranteed and then a minimum of 6 added by the host: it could be the best of both worlds. If a city in a smaller economy like, say, South Africa, wants to have the games, they can just have 26. But if a Los Angeles were to get the games, they could conceivably have over 30 sports being played.

I'm hoping the plan is to replace plain old boring wrestling with awesome cool pro-wrestling.

If a wrestling promoter creates an IOC-member character as a heel, I totally will watch.

I agree with the principle behind it- it allows smaller countries to host Olympic games, for example

Even then, wrestling seems an odd one to cut. You don't need a specialized arena for it. Kayaking OTOH...

Does Olympic soccer or golf get good ratings? You'd think those would be the ones to cut (and I am a soccer fan) since the Olympics are not even close to the pinnacle of the sport.

STEAGLES, you and I need to be friends.

#KICKHIMINTHEBALLS!!!

I've only wrestled for 5 minutes or so in high school gym, but I find it a lot of fun to watch. As mentioned above, you need exactly zero gear to do it. Anyone who has seen Chris Taylor's undoing by the Bulgarian wrestler or Rulon Gardner beating the invincible Russian could not forget those scenes.
Why the heck have tennis or soccer in the Olympics? Those games are played in a worldwide sense all the time. Obviously this was done to make room for men's synchronized swimming.

Seems silly to be saying 'small places can have the games' as the cost is astronomical to run one no matter what. Cutting baseball/softball made sense as the stadiums were good for just those sports and counted for just 2 medal ceremonies while needing 20+ players per team. I hated seeing them cut, but certainly understand it. Cycling track is also one that probably should be cut in the respect of keeping costs down - the cycling track in Montreal (1976) was turned into a place for plants for example and is good only for cycling really. Golf would be good for just golf, but given any major city in the world that could hold an Olympics would already have a high end golf course I don't see it as a barrier. Canoe/kayak, rowing, and sailing just need a big body of water with markers don't they? That should keep their costs down.

IMO they should keep it big. But oddball stuff like adding trampoline, the dozens of similar events (multiple weight classes, the many lengths of running, etc.) could be cut back with 99% of people never noticing I suspect. Still trying to figure out 'dressage' for horses and how that remotely qualifies as a sport (you have your horse basically prance around the ring).

If cutbacks or limits are needed, I say have a number of venue limit so you don't add baseball or golf for that matter but keep things like wrestling which can share a venue with other sports. Figure out something that can make use of the cycling racetrack or get rid of it. That type of stuff would actually cut costs. Beach volleyball might be a one-off 'stadium' but given it is just a giant sandbox I doubt it is a killer cost and could technically be moved into any other arena... hmm, maybe put it at the center of the cycling stadium and have them doing beach volleyball with cyclists zipping around.

Why the heck have tennis or soccer in the Olympics?

I assume tennis makes tv money? Maybe soccer, too. Though that's mostly a junior tournament in the Olympics (U-23's with 3 over-age players).

A fair number of these venues (in London) were temporary, such as Beach vball arena, and the larger stadia, were basically repurposed.

Getting rid of wrestling is kind of like McDonald's getting rid of fries.

If roller sports gets in though I'd have to say the IOC has really 'jumped the shark'...heck, jumped every shark there is.

Didn't they already do that when they merged the Winter Olympic Games with the Winter X Games?

I'm assuming gender considerations factor into that?

Field hockey is mainly a men's sport outside the US, probably especially in countries that don't have ice hockey. From the wiki:

Men's hockey became a permanent feature at the next Olympic Games, the 1928 Games in Amsterdam.

The first women's Olympic hockey competition was held at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow.

Anyway, I agree, wrestling is the sort of sport the Olympics are all about. I'd gladly drop basketball before wrestling.

And have they really dropped wrestling while keeping judo, etc?

There are people bouncing around on ####### trampolines at the olympics, but no wrestling.

Wresting probably doesn't get the TV ratings in the US --which brings in most of the Olympic money -- but eliminating wrestling is like the Nobel Prize Committee dropping Medicine. Reflects very poorly on the IOC.

I read a possible explanation, with fun IOC bashing: Tae kwon do was kept on, because that sport is big in Korea. A big IOC sponsor is from Korea.

Keeping things in perspective, I hate the NCAA more.

Of the 39 gold medals that Turkey has won, 28 of them have been in wrestling (and 58 of 87 total medals).
Istanbul is in the running for the 2020 Olympics, so I can't imagine that wrestling will be missing from the competition if they win the bid.
That would be like taking out ice hockey when Vancouver won the winter Olympic bid, or taking out soccer from the London summer Olympic games.

The IOC is definitely going to reverse course and put wrestling back in if Istanbul is selected.

STEAGLES, you and I need to be friends.

#KICKHIMINTHEBALLS!!!

this is professional wrestling and that is 100% legal. but it is not very sportsmanlike.

If roller sports gets in though I'd have to say the IOC has really 'jumped the shark'...heck, jumped every shark there is.

Until shark-jumping becomes an Olympic sport.

Canoe/kayak, rowing, and sailing just need a big body of water with markers don't they?

Whitewater kayak/canoe requires a course with enough rocks to be sufficiently challenging. Atlanta made a big deal out of using a real river instead of a man-made course. I love watching whitewater rowing on television.

The wushu nomination is my favorite. Here's the nations that won multiple golds at the last Wushu World Championships, which consisted of about 60 events:

China.
Hong Kong.
Iran.
Macau.
Philippines.
Russia.

Nothing shady with any of those countries!

I love the Olympics (especially on multiple channels with a DVR - fast forward right through the heartwarming crap) and Hate the IOC. I love the goofy sports you never see normally. I would much rather they get rid of basketball (and I am a huge b-ball fan) than any of the sports I watch only once every four years.

But I basically sign off of the sentiment above, wrestling should stay (and I don't even like it as a sport).

For the naysayers who are ripping trampoline, synchronized swimming, and rhythmic gymnastics... Well, I hate them, too. But per #22 those are part of larger categories, "aquatics" and "gymnastics", that aren't going anywhere. IOW, removing synchronized swimming still leaves "aquatics" as a core event.

Why this definition matters I don't know, but it does. Wrestling isn't being kept out by trampoline.

The IOC is definitely going to reverse course and put wrestling back in if Istanbul is selected.

In that case, they'll probably make sure that Istanbul doesn't win, kind of like Chicago or Tokyo didn't win for 2016, which would have put tremendous pressure on them to re-instate baseball.

Modern Pentathelon vs wrestling.

In London, 71 nations participated in wrestling, contributing 344 athletes. MP had 24 countries contributing 72 athletes. Europe had 13 countries and 45 athletes, as well as 4 of the 6 medal winners, so there's your answer.

The IOC is definitely going to reverse course and put wrestling back in if Istanbul is selected.

Duck said it, but this move tells me Istanbul isn't getting the games.

And I'm with everyone else. Holy hell the IOC is crooked/stupid. Wrestling is an Olympic sport, period. I have no doubt lots of the little gimmicky sports require incredible skill and discipline but that isn't the point. I'm not sure what the point is, of course. The Olympics has the marketing and appeal to non-sports fans. There is probably no sport they could cut that would significantly cut ratings. They'd just tell different stories and folks would tune in.

But, to a sports fan, this is one of the dumber things I've ever seen.

Also, as said above, why cap the number of sports at all? I can see capping venues. I can see cutting sports that aren't traditional and aren't global or that have more prestigious competitions (I'm looking at you soccer, golf and tennis). But if all you need is a mat and jersey, have the freaking competition.

What's truly bizarre is that Europe is increasingly moving towards governance by institutions like the IOC and FIFA. You'd think instances like this would give pause to the enthusiasm for extranational, quasi- or non-democratic organizations.

Golf and Tennis are the 2 sports that make the least sense to me in having in the Olympics as both are individual events that winning a Gold medal in the Olympics would not be though as high as winning Wimbledon or the Masters. Atleast team event winning gold for you country could be seen higher than winning the World Series, Stanley Cup or the NBA Finals(what is that trophy called anyways?)

So, looking at the finalists to host in 202, I've got to say Madrid is the favorite. Istanbul (have to re-instate wrestling), and Tokyo (have to re-instate baseball) are screwed. Looking ahead to 2024, I'd say the front runner is Dubai.

So, clearly, running from bulls will be in the 2020 games. And indoor ski jumping in 2024.