Wrestling facing 2020 knockout

The Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) agreed to drop wrestling from the list of 25 core sports that will be proposed for approval for the 2020 Summer Olympic Games at the 125th IOC session to be held in September in Argentina.

Wrestling, governed by the International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles (FILA), was in the first modern Olympics of 1896. This shock announcement led to the immediate resignation of the FILA president, Raphael Martinetti, who held the post for the last decade.

The competing sports are reviewed ahead of every Olympic Games to ensure they remain relevant to sports fans of all generations. The board review up to 30 categories, including the global popularity of the sport, TV ratings, ticket sales and even anti-doping procedures.

Five sports were facing elimination. In a secret ballot, canoeing and taekwondo were the first to be confirmed for the 2020 Olympics, leaving hockey, modern pentathlon and wrestling to fight it out. Hockey was the next sport to reach safety, although its inclusion came as a surprise to the CEO of England Hockey, Sally Munday, who pointed to the sale of 630,000 tickets in London to demonstrate its popularity.

Wrestling does have an opportunity to gain a reprieve, along with seven other sports, to become the last and final sport to be included, although its chances are considered to be slim.
Other sports have already been waging a marketing campaign to gain inclusion in 2020, although the venue is yet to be agreed. Among the most active sports have been squash and baseball / softball. 

Women’s softball appeared between 1996 and 2008 while men’s baseball has appeared sporadically since 1904. They became the first sports to be cut from the Games since polo in 1936. Both suffer from a lack of global appeal yet are hoping that, by combining, they will overcome this barrier. The women are proposing to introduce an indoor version of the game, Arena Softball.

Squash has failed on two previous attempts to gain inclusion (2012 and 2016) although it has taken onboard recommendations from the IOC and has undergone a radical overhaul.

The introduction of under-floor lighting, glow-in-the-dark balls, video reviews and in-play statistics has revitalised a sport that, by its own admission, had stagnated. Modern lightweight arenas with improved viewing have also allowed tournaments to be hosted in iconic locations such as the Pyramids and Grand Central Station. The sport also boasts some of the fittest athletes in the world, with intense matches lasting for two hours.

Karate and Wushu (also known as Kung Fu) are two martial arts seeking inclusion. While their progress may be hampered by the existence of Taekwondo (which itself had its participation reviewed), Wushu will point to the use of weapons including spears, cudgels and swords as making it unique. However, it is only the artistic form of Taolu that is being included with full-contact fighting (Sanda) having been omitted.

Sport climbing is another exciting activity bidding where climbers are tasked with getting as high as possible, as quickly as possible on indoor walls. It is hoped that the adrenaline released from watching climbers hanging by their fingertips from large overhangs, combined with spectacular falls, the grace of gymnastics and strength of endurance sports will be enough to win over the IOC.

Another sport seeking inclusion with similarities to other existing Olympic disciplines is in-line speed skating. With races similar to cycling, the bid has detailed five races ranging from a sprint at 300m to the endurance distance of 15km.

The final sport is wake-boarding. Hoping to utilise its appeal among youngsters, it will have to overcome its move towards cable-tows being seen as making it more accessible rather than the more popular boat-tow.

The two new sports included for 2016 in Rio were Rugby Sevens and golf, a move that caused controversy with many claiming that the former lacks global popularity while the latter will be played by wealthy professionals who will fail to give the Olympics the priority it deserves, with many believing that Olympic Gold should be considered to be the pinnacle.
 
Tennis and football come in for similar criticism demonstrating the trade-off between traditional Olympic values and the modern need to generate revenues through public interest.

Rugby Sevens will again provide Great Britain with a selection headache as it seeks to combine internationals from the Home Nations, although the existence of the British Lions should mean the sport faces fewer difficulties than football. Both sports will also be included in 2020.

With only 28 sports permitted in total, despite popular public opinion for the removal of several existing sports, only one will win!

Which sport would you like to see included?