# Wrestling cut from 2020 Olympics!!! **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [February 12, 2013, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrestling-cut-from-2020-olympics/650079 "2013-02-12T14:27:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrestling-cut-from-2020-olympics/650079/1 "2013-02-12T14:27:53Z")
WTF?? This decision makes no sense at all. The Olympic Committee keeps Modern Pentathlon, but axes wrestling? This has got to be some corrupt decision like Qatar getting the World Cup. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrestling-cut-from-2020-olympics/650079/2 "2013-02-12T14:33:44Z")
Do you have some source material about this? ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrestling-cut-from-2020-olympics/650079/3 "2013-02-12T14:40:31Z")
[Bloomberg link](http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-02-12/wrestling-cut-from-2020-olympics-program-associated-press-says.html) > [@](#): > > The report analyzed almost (caution: pdf) [40 criteria](http://www.olympic.org/Documents/Commissions_PDFfiles/Programme_commission/2012-06-28-IOC-evaluation-criteria-for-sports-and-disciplines.pdf) including television appeal, anti-corruption practices and popularity. The IOC wants to add a sport to the 2020 Games and so plans to remove one of the current events. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrestling-cut-from-2020-olympics/650079/4 "2013-02-12T14:42:11Z")
Modern pentathlon is great. Obviously wrestling belongs in the Olympics too. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrestling-cut-from-2020-olympics/650079/5 "2013-02-12T14:43:45Z")
Dude, that is crazy. Wrestling a huge sport around the world and is a source of medals for a lot of countries. I can’t imagine why such a cut would be made. Cutting baseball made sense, but this is a widely played sport internationally. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrestling-cut-from-2020-olympics/650079/6 "2013-02-12T14:44:47Z")
It’s an anti Iranian conspiracy. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrestling-cut-from-2020-olympics/650079/7 "2013-02-12T14:47:00Z")
> [@Peremensoe](#): > > Obviously wrestling belongs in the Olympics too. They don’t call it Greco Roman for nuthin’. ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrestling-cut-from-2020-olympics/650079/8 "2013-02-12T14:50:37Z")
[Here’s another link.](http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2013/02/12/sports/olympics/ap-oly-ioc-meetings.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&smid=tw-nytimes&_r=0) I can’t believe the cut wrestling either, that’s like cutting track and field or swimming. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrestling-cut-from-2020-olympics/650079/9 "2013-02-12T14:50:48Z")
[Here’s the NY Times story on it](http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2013/02/12/sports/olympics/ap-oly-ioc-meetings.html). Apparently wrestling got the boot in order to make space for a new sport. It is possible, though highly unlikely, that wrestling will be the sport that gets to fill the slot, which seems weird to me, but whatever. It’s the IOC. It’s not supposed to make sense. Edit: Ninjaed by **Edward the Head**. ---
**Author:** ![Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/regallag_the_axe/32/445_2.png) [@Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Regallag_The_Axe)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrestling-cut-from-2020-olympics/650079/10 "2013-02-12T14:55:43Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > The Olympic Committee keeps Modern Pentathlon,\*\* but axes wrestling\*\*? I misread the bolded part and thought the Olympics was going to have axe-wrestling as an event. They should totally replace regular wrestling with axe-wrestling, whatever that is. Because you know it would be totally badass. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrestling-cut-from-2020-olympics/650079/11 "2013-02-12T14:59:15Z")
I’m always dissapointed it doesn’t get more coverage. Of course it’s not popular in the US - you jerks only show an hour of it at 3:00 am! :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Rucksinator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/898d66/32.png) [@Rucksinator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rucksinator)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrestling-cut-from-2020-olympics/650079/12 "2013-02-12T16:12:55Z")
The article that I read said this… > [@](#): > > IOC members reviewed 39 criteria including worldwide audience, TV ratings, anti-doping policy, and ticket sales for all 26 sports from the London Olympics and then voted multiple times by secret ballot to whittle the list down to a final group that included wrestling, modern pentathlon, **taekwondo** , and field hockey. > > However, the decision isn’t quite final. Wrestling, which includes both Greco-Roman and freestyle disciplines, will now be thrown in against the other seven sports vying for a single spot in the 2020 Games schedule: baseball/softball, squash, wushu, roller sports, **karate** , sport climbing, and wakeboarding. A final vote will happen among the full IOC leadership at a meeting in Buenos Aires this September. [bolding mine] … and implied that there is only room for 25 sports. I think that they should drop all of the individual martial arts categories (that barely resemble a real fight) and replace them all with MMA. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrestling-cut-from-2020-olympics/650079/13 "2013-02-12T16:26:17Z")
Badmitton and field hockey are in. Wrestling is out. The IOC is a joke. An olympics without wrestling isn’t something I’m interested in. ---
**Author:** ![mcgato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac8455/32.png) [@mcgato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcgato)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrestling-cut-from-2020-olympics/650079/14 "2013-02-12T16:28:28Z")
It probably isn’t helped by the gender inequality. Last year, the men’s side had 7 weight classes for Greco-Roman wrestling and 7 weight classes for freestyle wrestling. The women only had 4 weight classes for freestyle wrestling. 14 vs. 4 is quite a bit of inequality. Plus the women were only included in the last three games, so a little late to the show. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrestling-cut-from-2020-olympics/650079/15 "2013-02-12T16:49:15Z")
Olympic wrestling is just not very popular to watch in this country, and I have my doubts that it is popular to watch internationally. That shouldn’t be the criteria for determining what sports remain in the Olympics IMO, but the IOC has neglected to consult with me. The Shot Put doesn’t attract throngs to the television coverage either, but I haven’t heard about it being eliminated. OTOH, they could add Professional Wrestling as a sport. Obviously renamed to remove the term ‘professional’ since we all know there are no paid athletes in the Olympics. If synchronized swimming can be considered a sport, there’s no reason not to consider it’s martial arts equivalent. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrestling-cut-from-2020-olympics/650079/16 "2013-02-12T17:06:34Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Olympic wrestling is just not very popular to watch in this country, and I have my doubts that it is popular to watch internationally. That may be true, but I’m having a hard time believing that badminton, field hockey, dressage, and modern pentathlon have larger popular followings than the more historically grounded wrestling. The reports I’ve seen make an interesting point about the pentathlon creating “more complete human beings.” That may be true, but I cannot think of any sport that requires more complete training than wrestling. Honestly, aside from track and field, I cannot think of any sport more true to the spirit of the games than wrestling. Is badminton just freakishly popular someplace? After the debacle in London, I should think it would be on its way out before wrestling. With the prominent mention of PED regulation in most reports, could this be spun as wrestlers having doped themselves out of Olympia? I haven’t heard of any doping scandals in field hockey recently, but I haven’t kept up very well. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrestling-cut-from-2020-olympics/650079/17 "2013-02-12T17:20:16Z")
> [@StusBlues](#): > > That may be true, but I’m having a hard time believing that badminton, field hockey, dressage, and modern pentathlon have larger popular followings than the more historically grounded wrestling. The reports I’ve seen make an interesting point about the pentathlon creating “more complete human beings.” That may be true, but I cannot think of any sport that requires more complete training than wrestling. Honestly, aside from track and field, I cannot think of any sport more true to the spirit of the games than wrestling. > > Is badminton just freakishly popular someplace? After the debacle in London, I should think it would be on its way out before wrestling. > > With the prominent mention of PED regulation in most reports, could this be spun as wrestlers having doped themselves out of Olympia? I haven’t heard of any doping scandals in field hockey recently, but I haven’t kept up very well. I agree with what you are saying. I don’t see any point in placing badminton ahead of wrestling, or many other sports either. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrestling-cut-from-2020-olympics/650079/18 "2013-02-12T17:28:46Z")
> [@StusBlues](#): > > Is badminton just freakishly popular someplace? After the debacle in London, I should think it would be on its way out before wrestling. SE Asia, I believe. ISTR that it’s extremely popular in Indonesia- like most popular sport in the country popular. WTF is “wushu”? Seems like even if you have a relatively unpopular sport like wrestling in the Olympics, it doesn’t make sense to replace it with an unknown one. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrestling-cut-from-2020-olympics/650079/19 "2013-02-12T17:47:31Z")
I’m waiting for **Ace309** to comment… ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrestling-cut-from-2020-olympics/650079/20 "2013-02-12T18:10:26Z")
> [@bump](#): > > SE Asia, I believe. ISTR that it’s extremely popular in Indonesia- like most popular sport in the country popular. Also Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines. > [@](#): > > WTF is “wushu”? Seems like even if you have a relatively unpopular sport like wrestling in the Olympics, it doesn’t make sense to replace it with an unknown one. I had to look that one up. It’s a Chinese martial art. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrestling-cut-from-2020-olympics/650079.md?page=2)