When the 2020 Olympic Games arrive, one of the world's most ancient sports will not be part of the games. Recently, the International Olympic Committee decided that it would recommend that wrestling be removed from the games. Not only was this sport part of the ancient games, it has been part of the modern games since their beginnings in 1896.
While the goal of the committee is to keep the games relevant for the widest majority of sports fan, exclusion of this ancient sport would be a huge loss to members of both the wrestling and mixed martial arts communities. Most high schools and colleges in the United States have wrestling programs, and eliminating this sport from the Olympics removes the pinnacle of competition for these young athletes.
If we take a look back, we see that the modern games have always included wrestling, as well as cycling, fencing, shooting, gymnastics, swimming, weightlifting, cycling, rowing, sailing, and athletics, which includes the various track and field events such as hurdles and shot put. Aside from wrestling, every one of these events will be featured in the 2020 Olympics. Quite frankly, it's hard to imagine that rowing and fencing are more relevant events that draw a larger audience.
Could there be some better choices to eliminate? Well, let's take a look. We know that all Olympic athletes (at least those who don't cheat) work very hard for their medals. But do we really need to dump wrestling so that we can have Team Handball as a sport? Isn't that basically a playground game? Perhaps we should add dodge ball, four square and jump rope as competitive sports. Again, not to take away from other athletes, but is badminton a sport more worthy of Olympic competition than wrestling? Apparently the IOC believes that badminton is far more relevant, even though they had to throw out players from three different countries during the last Olympics for cheating.
We could also eliminate a sport such as synchronized swimming. While I am sure people love it and it looks pretty cool, consider the fact that only five colleges or universities in the United States have varsity-level synchronized swim teams. There are more than 220 intercollegiate wrestling programs in the United States just in the NCAA alone, including 85 Division 1 programs. Just to keep things in perspective, there are only 25 NCAA Division 1 fencing teams in the country and less than 50 in all, but the IOC isn't eliminating fencing. It's hard to imagine that more people tune in to watching fencing with protective gear and safety tips than an actual one-on-one contact sport.
Any time a sport is eliminated, there is always controversy because this elimination hurts a group of athletes committed to their sport. In general, it might behoove the IOC to consider keeping the original set of sporting events intact and widening the scope to include more events in the games themselves.
While the goal of the committee is to keep the games relevant for the widest majority of sports fan, exclusion of this ancient sport would be a huge loss to members of both the wrestling and mixed martial arts communities. Most high schools and colleges in the United States have wrestling programs, and eliminating this sport from the Olympics removes the pinnacle of competition for these young athletes.
If we take a look back, we see that the modern games have always included wrestling, as well as cycling, fencing, shooting, gymnastics, swimming, weightlifting, cycling, rowing, sailing, and athletics, which includes the various track and field events such as hurdles and shot put. Aside from wrestling, every one of these events will be featured in the 2020 Olympics. Quite frankly, it's hard to imagine that rowing and fencing are more relevant events that draw a larger audience.
Could there be some better choices to eliminate? Well, let's take a look. We know that all Olympic athletes (at least those who don't cheat) work very hard for their medals. But do we really need to dump wrestling so that we can have Team Handball as a sport? Isn't that basically a playground game? Perhaps we should add dodge ball, four square and jump rope as competitive sports. Again, not to take away from other athletes, but is badminton a sport more worthy of Olympic competition than wrestling? Apparently the IOC believes that badminton is far more relevant, even though they had to throw out players from three different countries during the last Olympics for cheating.
We could also eliminate a sport such as synchronized swimming. While I am sure people love it and it looks pretty cool, consider the fact that only five colleges or universities in the United States have varsity-level synchronized swim teams. There are more than 220 intercollegiate wrestling programs in the United States just in the NCAA alone, including 85 Division 1 programs. Just to keep things in perspective, there are only 25 NCAA Division 1 fencing teams in the country and less than 50 in all, but the IOC isn't eliminating fencing. It's hard to imagine that more people tune in to watching fencing with protective gear and safety tips than an actual one-on-one contact sport.
Any time a sport is eliminated, there is always controversy because this elimination hurts a group of athletes committed to their sport. In general, it might behoove the IOC to consider keeping the original set of sporting events intact and widening the scope to include more events in the games themselves.
About the Author:
Rod Bourgoine likes blogging about mixed martial arts advantages. For more details about martial arts San Diego or to find San Diego boxing classes, please check out The Arena MMA site today.
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