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Wrestling now joins seven other sports vying for one opening on the 2020 program: a combined bid from baseball and softball, karate, squash, roller sports, sport climbing, wakeboarding and the martial art of wushu.

The IOC executive board will meet in May in St. Petersburg, Russia, to decide which sport or sports to propose for 2020 inclusion. The final vote will be made at the IOC general assembly in September in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

"The vote of yesterday is not an elimination of wrestling from the Olympic Games," Rogge said. "Wrestling will participate in the Games in Rio de Janeiro. To the athletes who train now, I say, 'Continue training for your participation in Rio. Your federation is working for the inclusion in the 2020 Games.' "

Rogge was asked whether Tuesday's decision marked an end to wrestling's Olympic hopes.

"I cannot look into a crystal ball into the future," he said. "We have established a fair process by which the sport that would not be included in the core has a chance to compete with the seven other sports for the slot on the 2020 Games."

Rogge said he was fully aware of the strength of criticism leveled at the IOC for the move.

"We knew even before the decision was taken whatever sport would not be included in the core program would lead to criticism from the supporters of that sport," he said.

Still, complaints continued to pour in Wednesday from different parts of the world, uniting the U.S. and Iran on an issue in ways never imagined in diplomatic circles. The U.S. and Russia were also unlikely allies in the save-wrestling campaign.

Alexander Zhukov, head of the Russian Olympic Committee, said he would write to Rogge and "use all of our strength to persuade the IOC not to exclude wrestling from the Olympic program."

Wrestling has been one of Russia's strongest sports: Soviet and Russian wrestlers have won 77 gold medals.

In Tehran, Iranian wrestler Ali Reza Dabir, a gold medalist in 2000 Sydney Games, called wrestling "the identity" of the Olympics.

"Do we destroy our historical sites which are symbols of humanity?" he told The Associated Press. "No. Then, why should we destroy wrestling?"

The Wrestling Federation of India said it would do all that it can to reverse the decision, and the Olympic committee in Greece -- the birthplace of the ancient and modern games -- condemned "a decision that is clearly in total opposition to the history of the Olympic Games and of sports in general."

Turdacious wrote:

Wrestling now joins seven other sports vying for one opening on the 2020 program: a combined bid from baseball and softball, karate, squash, roller sports, sport climbing, wakeboarding and the martial art of wushu.

The IOC executive board will meet in May in St. Petersburg, Russia, to decide which sport or sports to propose for 2020 inclusion. The final vote will be made at the IOC general assembly in September in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

"The vote of yesterday is not an elimination of wrestling from the Olympic Games," Rogge said. "Wrestling will participate in the Games in Rio de Janeiro. To the athletes who train now, I say, 'Continue training for your participation in Rio. Your federation is working for the inclusion in the 2020 Games.' "

Rogge was asked whether Tuesday's decision marked an end to wrestling's Olympic hopes.

"I cannot look into a crystal ball into the future," he said. "We have established a fair process by which the sport that would not be included in the core has a chance to compete with the seven other sports for the slot on the 2020 Games."

Rogge said he was fully aware of the strength of criticism leveled at the IOC for the move.

"We knew even before the decision was taken whatever sport would not be included in the core program would lead to criticism from the supporters of that sport," he said.

Still, complaints continued to pour in Wednesday from different parts of the world, uniting the U.S. and Iran on an issue in ways never imagined in diplomatic circles. The U.S. and Russia were also unlikely allies in the save-wrestling campaign.

Alexander Zhukov, head of the Russian Olympic Committee, said he would write to Rogge and "use all of our strength to persuade the IOC not to exclude wrestling from the Olympic program."

Wrestling has been one of Russia's strongest sports: Soviet and Russian wrestlers have won 77 gold medals.

In Tehran, Iranian wrestler Ali Reza Dabir, a gold medalist in 2000 Sydney Games, called wrestling "the identity" of the Olympics.

"Do we destroy our historical sites which are symbols of humanity?" he told The Associated Press. "No. Then, why should we destroy wrestling?"

The Wrestling Federation of India said it would do all that it can to reverse the decision, and the Olympic committee in Greece -- the birthplace of the ancient and modern games -- condemned "a decision that is clearly in total opposition to the history of the Olympic Games and of sports in general."

http://espn.go.com/olympics/wrestling/s ... ing-leader

Turdacious wrote:Wrestling is out. These is not:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkc19FNb6Bg[/youtube]