But that ongoing legacy was abruptly ended on Tuesday — it appears wrestling has just one more Olympic go-round.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) conducted a secret vote in Switzerland, in which its 15-member executive board decided to exclude wrestling from the 2020 Summer Games by eliminating it from the Olympics’ list of “core sports.” There’s a very outside shot wrestling could be added back in May, when the IOC votes to add one more sport to the list.
The move to axe wrestling was widely castigated by fans and media especially upset over the sport’s heritage dating back to some of the earliest Olympic Games. A Washington Post columnist called the decision “absurd.”
On Change.org, meanwhile, more than 30 online petitions have sprung up since Tuesday morning, gathering nearly 15,000 total signatures. Each urges the IOC to reconsider its break from tradition. The largest of the bunch, started by Clay Durham of Enola, Pa., has already collected more than 11,000 signatures out of a total goal of 15,000.
Many supporters have used the page’s comments section to add their own messages.
“This is the world’s oldest and greatest sport that teaches young men and women the values and work ethic that it takes to succeed in life both professionally and personally,” wrote Anthony Forte of Fort Mill, S.C.
“The wrestling community rallied behind me during cancer treatments, I am going to stand behind our wrestling family now. #savewrestling,” wrote Eric Hess of Benton, Pa.
Do you think wrestling should be eliminated as an Olympic sport? Do you think online petitions can help save it? Give us your take in the comments.