IOC drops wrestling for 2020 Olympics

International Olympic Committee leaders dropped wrestling from the Olympic program on Tuesday, a surprise decision that removes one of the oldest Olympic sports from the 2020 Games.

The IOC executive board decided to retain modern pentathlon — the event considered most at risk — and remove wrestling instead from its list of 25 "core sports."

The IOC board acted after reviewing the 26 sports on the current Olympic program. Eliminating one sport allows the International Olympic Committee to add a new sport to the program later this year.

Wrestling, which combines freestyle and Greco-Roman events, goes back to the inaugural modern Olympics in Athens in 1896.

"This is a process of renewing and renovating the program for the Olympics," IOC spokesman Mark Adams said. "In the view of the executive board, this was the best program for the Olympic Games in 2020. It's not a case of what's wrong with wrestling, it is what's right with the 25 core sports."

Adams said the decision was made by secret ballot over several rounds, with members voting each time on which sport should not be included in the core group. IOC President Jacques Rogge did not vote.

Wrestling was voted out from a final group that also included modern pentathlon, taekwondo and field hockey, officials familiar with the vote told The Associated Press. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the voting details were not made public.

The board voted after reviewing a report by the IOC program commission report that analyzed 39 criteria, including television ratings, ticket sales, anti-doping policy and global participation and popularity. With no official rankings or recommendations contained in the report, the final decision by the 15-member board was also subject to political, emotional and sentimental factors.

Canada remains optimistic

Carol Huynh, who won Canada's first Olympic gold medal in women's wrestling in 2008 and a bronze in 2012, said she was shocked to hear the IOC's decision, but isn't completely discouraged.

"There's still hope," said the Hazleton, B.C., native. "They haven't come to any decision yet.

"We can't lose that sport. It's just so much history, and it's hard to think of the Olympic Games without wrestling."

The Canadian Olympic Committee highlighted the achievements of Huynh and her fellow wrestlers in the event.

"It is disappointing to potentially lose this important sport from the Canadian Olympic Team roster in 2020. Our country has a long tradition of excellence in this sport exemplifying a proud tradition of being best in class," the COC said in a statement.

"This reputation includes the historic moment Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame inductee Daniel Igali won Canada’s first-ever Wrestling gold in Sydney. Canada’s stature in the sport was exemplified again most recently in London as Tonya Verbeek and Carol Huynh returned to Canada with silver and bronze respectively — adding more medals to their legendary Olympic careers."

Wrestling Canada also issued a statement, saying they will fight to have the IOC's decision reversed.

"We are deeply surprised by the recent recommendation of the IOC Executive Board IOC to withdraw the sport of wrestling from the Olympic Programme," said Don Ryan, president of Wrestling Canada.

"We have a strong International Federation (FILA) and we will work closely with them as called upon to lobby and appeal to the IOC Members to reverse this decision that has yet to be ratified by the IOC."

The international wrestling federation, known by the French acronym FILA, is headed by Raphael Martinetti and is based in Corsier-sur-Vevey, Switzerland. Calls to the federation for comment were not immediately returned.

Wrestling featured 344 athletes competing in 11 medal events in freestyle and seven in Greco-Roman at last year's London Olympics. Women's wrestling was added to the Olympics at the 2004 Athens Games.

'Decision is not final'

Wrestling will now join seven other sports in applying for inclusion in 2020. The others are a combined bid from baseball and softball, karate, squash, roller sports, sport climbing, wakeboarding and wushu. They will be vying for a single opening in 2020.

The IOC executive board will meet in May in St. Petersburg, Russia, to decide which sport or sports to propose for 2020 inclusion. The final vote will be made at the IOC session, or general assembly, in September in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

It is extremely unlikely that wrestling would be voted back in so soon after being removed by the executive board.

"Today's decision is not final," Adams said. "The session is sovereign and the session will make the final decision."

'We have delivered'

The last sports removed from the Olympics were baseball and softball, voted out by the IOC in 2005 and off the program since the 2008 Beijing Games. Golf and rugby will be joining the program at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Previously considered under the closest scrutiny was modern pentathlon, which has been on the Olympic program since the 1912 Stockholm Games. It was created by French baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic movement, and combines fencing, horse riding, swimming, running and shooting.

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."

'Stressed the positives'

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 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 multi-sport discipline that produces very complete people."

Canada has collected a half dozen wrestling medals in recent Games, including gold medals in freestyle wrestling won by Daniel Igali at the Sydney Games in 2000 and by Carol Huynh in Beijing in 2008.

Huynh, of New Hazelton, B.C., also won a bronze medal at the 2012 Games in London while Tonya Verbeek of Thorold, Ont., collected a silver in London.  Verbeek earlier won a bronze medal in Beijing in 2008 and a silver at the 2004 Games in Athens.