IOC cuts wrestling

[hobbes27]

Okay this is one of the most boneheaded decisions the IOC has ever made, and they've made some doozies. And I am not even a big fan of this sport, and I think its dumb.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/olympi...9336--oly.html

[packa7x]

I honestly can't stand wrestling (I refer to it as 'aggressive cuddling') but the sport is one of the staples of the Olympic games. The IOC has demonstrated corruption before, I wouldn't be surprised if this is the latest example.

[Curtis]

Sad that they cut wrestling, but who really cares about Olympics anymore?

[wxwax]

Baffling. Golf is in, wrestling is out. I'm not a fan, but this sport symbolizes the Olympics. They're going for TV ratings and money, I get that. But when you have 15 people taking a secret vote and it involves the Olympics, don't rule out corruption.

[mkocs6]

The Olympics have, apparently, also cut their sense of irony from the program.

[edave]

None of the stories I found was explicit about which form of wrestling was being cut, which is likely why wrestling is going away (freestyle vs greco-roman, they're both toast). I see they're keeping ping pong and trampoline which those ancient Athens audiences were wild about.

[wxwax]

None of the stories I found was explicit about which form of wrestling was being cut, which is likely why wrestling is going away (freestyle vs greco-roman, they're both toast). I see they're keeping ping pong and trampoline which those ancient Athens audiences were wild about.

Yeah, it's all wrestling that's gone.

In theory, the Olympics are simple. 25 sports. In practice, each sport subdivides into seemingly endless permutations. That's what makes hosting the games such a herculean task.

As I said, I get that the Olympics are a business and they need to stay relevant. That need brought an end to the sham of amateurism, for which we should be grateful.

But I can't see how a pidgen form of rugby is preferred over wrestling. Nor a sport that was also facing the ax, the pentathlon (with such stirring draws as fencing and horseback riding.) For that matter, who watches fencing?

As I said, look for corruption. The champion of the pentathlon was Juan Antonio Samaranch, a former head of the IOC. Small wonder the insiders voted for him and against the far more popular wrestling.

[hobbes27]

Baffling. Golf is in, wrestling is out. I'm not a fan, but this sport symbolizes the Olympics. They're going for TV ratings and money, I get that. But when you have 15 people taking a secret vote and it involves the Olympics, don't rule out corruption.

I get if they are doing this for ratings. But there are plenty of other sports they could cut for ratings, which get far fewer eyes than wrestling. As you've said, there is probably some type of corruption here. I doubt we will ever find out why wrestling was on the chopping block, which pretty much makes the IOC look bad to everyone because they got rid of a sport for their own selfish interests.

[packa7x]

Let's think of WHY they would do it...what countries are good at wrestling? Russia?

[Pruitt]

Sad that they cut wrestling, but who really cares about Olympics anymore?

Agree with this.

I file this story in the "Who gives a crap?" file. The Olympics can be fun to watch, but seriously, wrestling is getting people worked up?

And as to the argument that it is one of the traditional sports from the early olympics, well so was the Tug Of War. With the inclusion of rugby and golf, the IOC is moving towards holding a three week long event that features the most popular televised sports. It is what the networks want and anyone who thinks that the modern olympic movement has anything to do with tradition and the purity of sports is delusional.

Beach Volleyball or Ski Cross anyone?