Wrestling Awaits Olympic Decision

Wrestling will find out if it is to remain an Olympic sport on Sunday.

The sport was initially dropped from the games in February, but is given a chance to bid for the right to be included along with squash and baseball/softball. All three sports will present to the Internation Olympic Committee on Sunday afternoon with a vote taking place soon afterwards.

Wrestling had been considered the favorite to win the vote however it suffered a setback after FILA – the internationl federation representing Wrestling was reprimanded for breaching rules.

A letter from the IOC was sent on Tuesday to all three sports’ international federations stating the “wrestling federation and an organisation supporting them engaged in activities that were not in line with the ‘Rules of Conduct for the International Federations seeking inclusion in the Olympic Programme'”.

It said an “official warning was sent” and “the matter is now considered as closed”.

Nenad Lalovic, president of the International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles (Fila), has recently spearheaded sweeping reforms to the sport – including making it more television-friendly – which have come in for praise from IOC members.

“What I am hearing makes me optimistic but a vote is another matter,” Lalovic said. “Wrestling is not just a sport, it is a tradition in lots of countries. In some of those countries, the poorest ones, I fear there could be social problems.”

The campaign received backing from across the sport and also in the world of professional wrestling, with former Olympic gold-medallist Kurt Angle firmly backing the sports inclusion.

The IOC’s decision will take effect from the 2020 games, which will be held in Tokyo.