Wrestling dropped by IOC

[krebs303]

WTF going to keep modern pentathlon and drop wrestling

http://news.yahoo.com/ioc-drops-wrestling-2020-olympics-111816483--oly.html

in a nutshell here is the reason.
The board voted after reviewing a report by the IOC program commission report that analyzed 39 criteria, including television ratings, ticket sales, anti-doping policy and global participation and popularity.

more telling is this
Modern pentathlon also benefited from the work of Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr., the son of the former IOC president who is a UIPM vice president and member of the IOC board.

 

[Race Radio]

Wow, that is crazy

 

[Cyivel]

Good it's boring, get darts in there.

 

[Descender]

I can see why they'd drop wrestling, but there's no reason to keep Modern Pentathlon in there.

 

[ebandit]

darts it is

did i hear correctly that darts are indeed pushing for paticipation

modern pentathlon has the 'hooray henry' appeal.............like 3 day eventing
i see no place in modern olympics as so few are able to participate

as to wrestling............was 'ethical considerations' really so far down the deciding factors?

 

[Caruut]

How the hell is modern pentathlon an actual Olympic sport? Sports should be in the Olympics because they are successful, not successful because they are in the Olympics. Scandalous that a sport like kabbadi has yet to make the grade while sham sports like MP do.

 

[Cyivel]

Darts are rightfully pushing for inclusion, also agreed on Kabbadi, brother Caruut.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Darts!? Let's bring in Jai-Alai and Hornussen. Much better.

(Pelota of some kind was in the Olympics back in about 1900 but nobody apart from France and Spain turned up. And even then it's "France" and "Spain")

 

[Cyivel]

I would put Professional Wrestling in myself.

 

[ElChingon]

Don't worry!

It will make room for a new sport where competitors dance and wave like the queen, judged for performance points by blind people, a win for all

You all forget, its about ratings these days not the classic sports or history. The networks showing the Olympics only are after ratings and if any sport doesn't bring the numbers, well off it will go. Welcome to athletics of the future

 

[plooton]

Pentathlon in coz we have the champ Anyway, both pentathlon and wrestling should be kept as very traditional sports in Olympics. There are other newer idiotic sports included that should be banned: synchronized swimming, teakwondo, archery, BMX, trampoline jumping, as just coming to my mind.

 

[Mad Elephant Man]

Modern Pentathlon was created by the founder of the modern Olympics so it has that in its favour.

Wrestling should not have been dropped from the games.
I would have wrestling in the games ahead of most of the other sports.
Basketball, football and rugby should not be in the Olympics.

 

[avanti]

How the hell is modern pentathlon an actual Olympic sport? ................

The MP has been in the Olympics since 1912 (as I recall). I know a little about the MP and can tell you it is a tough sport to compete in (it is like an omnium of sports). And it scores points based on performance, not on interpretation of judges.

Why does the IOC not want to expand to three weeks? This way dropped cycling events could be reinstated.

 

[Tricycle Rider]

Modern Pentathlon was created by the founder of the modern Olympics so it has that in its favour.

Wrestling should not have been dropped from the games.
I would have wrestling in the games ahead of most of the other sports.
Basketball, football and rugby should not be in the Olympics.

I agree on basketball, and I'd also like to see golf and tennis dropped from the Olympics.

All these sports I mentioned have major championship tournaments going on each and every year, but wrestling I only hear about when the Olympics come around. (Sorry, I'm a Yankee. [Actually, I'm a transplant to the States, I was born in '68 in what used to be Czechoslovakia.] Hence, I can only speak for Yankee TV coverage.)

As far as the Modern Pentahlon goes - who the heck can afford to partake in it? I could barely afford to buy a $250 hybrid bicycle with my tax return check, once I'm done speccing it all up to my needs it will set me back about $440. The Modern Pentahlon costs, however, well, let's see...

Can I afford a horse and have a place to park and take care of it - nope

Can I afford a pistol and bullets, and be able to afford frequent shooting practice at a range - nope

Can I afford a pool membership so I can practice my swimming - possibly

Fencing and fencing lessons - nope, can't afford it

The running - yeah, I can do that. (Just get me some running shoes.)


So basically, personally I can financially afford to partake in only two sports out of the five in the Modern Pentathlon.


How about you guys?

 

[avanti]

..............As far as the Modern Pentahlon goes - who the heck can afford to partake in it? ..................

Actually the MP can be lower cost than golf, bike racing, and a host of other sports if you join a good MP club with sponsorship.

 

[BroDeal]

Actually the MP can be lower cost than golf, bike racing, and a host of other sports if you join a good MP club with sponsorship.

Where the heck does one find a modern pentathalon club? Is it right between the polo and dressage clubs?

 

[RetroActive]

Don't worry!

It will make room for a new sport where competitors dance and wave like the queen, judged for performance points by blind people, a win for all

You all forget, its about ratings these days not the classic sports or history. The networks showing the Olympics only are after ratings and if any sport doesn't bring the numbers, well off it will go. Welcome to athletics of the future

Just include belly dancing and call it a night.

 

[rickshaw]

I'm surprised ...

.. nobody has mentioned NASCAR. Absolutely HUGE following in the USofA. They got cars everywhere in the world. If you can trot a pony around a ring, why not drive a car around?

Golf? I'll watch the paint dry if you don't mind.

 

[BroDeal]

This is just wrong. Wrestling was one of the sports in the original olympics.

The writing was already on the wall with bogus "sports" like snowboard halfpipe.

 

[Tricycle Rider]

Actually the MP can be lower cost than golf, bike racing, and a host of other sports if you join a good MP club with sponsorship.

But, but... at what age does one start showing potential that one can be successful in the MP?

I would think, like most sports, you'd have to start pretty early on. Consequently, I think you'd have to come from a wealthy family in order to be able to start early on as a child in the MP. Or, am I wrong?

Btw., while I cannot afford to play golf myself I do enjoy watching the Majors.

 

[movingtarget]

But synchronised swimming survives. Why on earth do they want golf, BMX. seven a side rugby or tennis in the Olympics ? Wrestling should be included and they should also reinstate the track cycling events they discarded. The Olympics is becoming sillier and sillier. Planking should be included in the next Olympics. Arm wrestling and darts surely they have to be there !

 

[the asian]

It will be plain stupid if they decide to drop Wrestling one of the oldest sports and a sport which was even in the ancient Olympics.
This only a recommendation and not a final decision, and I'm sure it will be included in the final program.

 

[Barnaby]

Wot? No more of this? Sorely disappointed.

 

[dirkprovin]

Modern pentathlon saved itself by reforming it's format. Firstly making it a a one-day format and then, in the 2008-2010 period, modifying further by combining the running & shooting into a combined event. Will given them cudos for that. Actually a lot of the competitors in this event come from competitive backgrounds in specific sports (ie swimming, running mb fencing.

Will agree that there are a number of current Olympic events that can go in my opinion OR shouldn't really be there.
- Golf - sorry no.
- Synchronised swimming has had a 30 year run in the Games and realistically is competed seriously by only a few countries .... from aquatics, this has to be the first cull.
- Taekwondo was included due to Korean pressure/$$$/influence - just how strong is it internationally ?
- Baseball and softball lacked the real international spread of nations competing seriously and the cost of purpose built facility signed their death warrant .... along with the attitude of Major League Baseball re clearance of players for either US or intl teams.
- Raquet sports and including table tennis. All have their issues. Table tennis HAS became Chinese dominated to the detriment of intl competition. Badminton had its "rigging" scandal in London. Whilst the large percentage of top pros WOULD like to compete and would rate an Olympic medal amongst their great acheivement, it still does not rank alongside a Grand Slam title. Others may go before it but ...
- Actually no problems with rugby sevens as it DOES have a much wider international participation than the 15 a side game. And the shortened games make flow of the tournament far easier.
- Rhythmic gymnastics has a similar issue to synchro swimming. A 30 year Olympic run but it's international footprint is too small making it the medal preserve of only a couple of nations. Disposable

Tradition is fine BUT cannot be a guarantor of survival. The fact is that the international strength of Olympic class wrestling has been steadily shrinking more and more into Eurasia. The spread of Greco Roman has NEVER been that of freestyle and whilst I would ideally like Wrestling to stay; one category may have to go.

 

[the asian]

The Russians will most probably not allow this to happen.