# 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:** 2
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrestling-cut-from-2020-olympics/650079/21 "2013-02-12T18:25:35Z")
Field hockey is pretty popular in Europe, South Asia and AustralAsia. Personally I would drop fencing before wrestling. After I’ve eliminated every team sport entirely. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrestling-cut-from-2020-olympics/650079/22 "2013-02-12T18:26:56Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Also Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines. Badminton is quite popular in China too, of course. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrestling-cut-from-2020-olympics/650079/23 "2013-02-12T18:38:07Z")
I’m not a fan of wrestling, but I agree it shouldn’t be cut. Unless they bring back pankration. [Pankration - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pankration) Brian ---
**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, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrestling-cut-from-2020-olympics/650079/24 "2013-02-12T18:43:04Z")
> [@N9IWP](#): > > I’m not a fan of wrestling, but I agree it shouldn’t be cut. Unless they bring back pankration. [Pankration - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pankration) That sounds a lot like UFC so it’s not that far fetched. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrestling-cut-from-2020-olympics/650079/25 "2013-02-12T18:45:18Z")
> [@Rucksinator](#): > > The article that I read said this… > > [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. Axe wrestling would make MMA look wimpy. 🆒 Seriously, wrestling should be kept. I don’t even like wrestling, but it’s a question of fairness. Wrestling isn’t nearly as expensive a sport as many others in the Olympics, so more people with less money can participate. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrestling-cut-from-2020-olympics/650079/26 "2013-02-12T18:45:29Z")
> [@Regallag\_The\_Axe](#): > > 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. Axe wrestling is like normal wrestling, but you have to get permission first. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrestling-cut-from-2020-olympics/650079/27 "2013-02-12T18:50:05Z")
Somewhere the ancient Greeks are weeping. Wrestling is one of the original Olympic sports. How in the hell can you remove wrestling from the Olympics? You’re ripping out the very spirit of the Olympics. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrestling-cut-from-2020-olympics/650079/28 "2013-02-12T18:54:22Z")
> [@bump](#): > > 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. It’s _kung fu_. Not exactly unknown. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrestling-cut-from-2020-olympics/650079/29 "2013-02-12T19:10:54Z")
I agree that they should have kept wrestling, partly because it does date from the ancient games. Also, I’m not terribly enthusiastic about any of the proposed sports (baseball/softball, squash, wushu, roller sports, karate, sport climbing, and wakeboarding), except for maybe squash. I’d vote against modern pentathlon partly because it’s an invented sport. And within athletics, I’d get rid of race walking, which is stupid. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrestling-cut-from-2020-olympics/650079/30 "2013-02-12T19:19:06Z")
I’m surprised they’d get rid of wrestling but keep boxing. Just about every Olympics has some scandal involving boxing judges being bribed or otherwise in the tank for one of the competitors. ---
**Author:** ![dzeiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/46a35a/32.png) [@dzeiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dzeiger)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrestling-cut-from-2020-olympics/650079/31 "2013-02-12T19:40:12Z")
As I understand it, rules and such for each sport are actually determined by their respective independent international league, with the IOC just overseeing it for the Olympics. With that in mind, if doping policy was looked at as one of the criteria, is it possible that the international rules body for wrestling isn’t being as aggressive as the IOC would like? ---
**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, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrestling-cut-from-2020-olympics/650079/32 "2013-02-12T19:50:25Z")
> [@N9IWP](#): > > I’m not a fan of wrestling, but I agree it shouldn’t be cut. Unless they bring back pankration. [Pankration - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pankration) > > Brian See post #12. 😉 And in case I wasn’t clear, I wasn’t including wrestling with those martial arts. I say keep wrestling (not so much because I’m a fan but because of its history with the olympics), drop karate, tae kwon do, wushu, judo, etc. and add pankration/MMA. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrestling-cut-from-2020-olympics/650079/33 "2013-02-12T20:06:25Z")
How about adding MMA but calling it modern pankration? ---
**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, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrestling-cut-from-2020-olympics/650079/34 "2013-02-12T20:10:26Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > How about adding MMA but calling it modern pankration? How about not adding another sport that requires judging. At least wrestling works on a point system. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrestling-cut-from-2020-olympics/650079/35 "2013-02-12T20:18:59Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > How about not adding another sport that requires judging. At least wrestling works on a point system. Beer pong? ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Wiggler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/red_wiggler/32/13190_2.png) [@Red\_Wiggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Wiggler)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrestling-cut-from-2020-olympics/650079/36 "2013-02-12T20:31:50Z")
I don’t have a particular issue with which sports they keep and which ones they don’t; I have an issue with which ones they _show_ us here in the States. In 2016 I want it to be easy and cheap to pick whatever events I want to see and watch as much of them as I want. I’m too damned old to have even one more minute of rhythmic gymnastics shoved at me any more. ---
**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, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrestling-cut-from-2020-olympics/650079/37 "2013-02-12T20:36:22Z")
> [@Red\_Wiggler](#): > > I don’t have a particular issue with which sports they keep and which ones they don’t; I have an issue with which ones they _show_ us here in the States. In 2016 I want it to be easy and cheap to pick whatever events I want to see and watch as much of them as I want. I’m too damned old to have even one more minute of rhythmic gymnastics shoved at me any more. They really need to do an NFL Sunday ticket type of deal where you can pay a subscription price and have a choice of everything that is going on at the moment live. Then they can repeat the day after all is done for different time zones. ---
**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, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrestling-cut-from-2020-olympics/650079/38 "2013-02-12T20:42:33Z")
> [@Red\_Wiggler](#): > > I have an issue with which ones they _show_ us here in the States. Actually for the 2012 Olympics, every event was streamed live online so you could have watched whatever you wanted. Yes prime time showed the most popular to the US stuff. I spent a week off of work and watched just about every minute of track and field live and commercial free. With knowledgeable announcers. Sometimes I would have multiple windows open so I could follow the women’s high jump or men’s triple jump (or both) and not miss any of the track action. I think that is the NBC model going forward. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrestling-cut-from-2020-olympics/650079/39 "2013-02-12T21:21:38Z")
The only trick with the online streaming during the London Games is that you had to be a cable or satellite subscriber to access the programming. ---
**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, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrestling-cut-from-2020-olympics/650079/40 "2013-02-12T21:23:01Z")
> [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > Beer pong? Seems reasonable. Quarters also. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrestling-cut-from-2020-olympics/650079.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrestling-cut-from-2020-olympics/650079.md?page=3)