More men's classes cut for Rio

[de4856 359]

I say the IOC is just in it for the $$$. So they look at wrestling as a low ticket item, and they probably don't care one way or another about wrestling or the wrestlers, and FILA has taken the position of trying to appease the IOC. So the IOC feels empowered to do whatever they want and it's just a matter of time before the IOC make another outlandish request, such as getting rid of Freestyle altogether. We shouldn't have to cut weight classes, (seven classes for men is it). I also read in these blogs that we should ditch Greco, and they (Greco) can just compete at the World Championships. I say we stand together and leave the Olympics and keep our sport and our integrity intact. At the end of the day I see the IOC as kind of a bully, and bullies don't stop being bullies until the person takes a stand and fights back.

[The_Education 24]

Fila has done everything the IOC has asked for

 

Not quite. About ten years ago, the IOC recommended getting rid of one style of wrestling. FILA did nothing about that. Wrestling also was not a big draw, and FILA was generally unresponsive to the IOC. So the IOC got rid of all three styles.

 

What has FILA's response been to that?

 

(1) They changed the rules to make wrestling more exciting. I think that's great.

 

(2) They added 2 women's weight classes and cut 2 men's weight classes to bring the percentage of women's weight classes up to 33%.

 

That's not good enough. FILA needs to drop Greco, and make the weight class balance at least 60/40. Perhaps weight lifting's split of 8 men's weight classes and 7 women's weight classes would be ideal. That would put the balance at 53/47.

 

Meanwhile, modern pentathlon did everything the IOC recommended. The IOC kept modern pentathlon.

[Jaguar 0]

I am in favor of more weights for women's wrestling. Four weights is ridiculous. I am not in favor of further reducing men's weights. Anyone who has taken a serious look at 66kg and 74kg compared to the rest of the weights knows that we need another weight to spread out the concentration of wrestlers that are at those weights. Ten would be ideal, maybe seven for women.

 

On doing what it takes to keep wrestling in the Olympics, I wish we had a crystal ball. Will it spell the ruin of the sport if wrestling is no longer in the Olympics? Will more college programs be dropped? Will the former Soviet Republics go up for grabs? Will wrestling die a slow death?

 

I don't know. I am starting to think we might be better off going it alone. Frankly, if wrestling is no longer to be an Olympic sport, I would rather that wrestling decide to walk away from the Olympics. The Olympics is no longer the amateur ideal it once was, or at least pretended to be. It is corrupt and becoming a joke.

 

With that said, what if separating wrestling from the Olympics really is a death knell? Wrestling will never go away. It is ingrained in the human soul; it is indigenous to every people group; it is part of human culture and history; but it may never again by a celebrated, unified interntional, Olympic sport. It may become a fractured, folkstyle sport observed by individual nations and people groups isolated one from the other.

 

I think that is unlikey, but then again, who would have thought that wrestling would be fighting to stay in the Olympics?

[Jaguar 0]

de,

The IOC is giving wrestling the ultimatum ... if we pull out, they don't care.

I am beginning to wonder if we should care. I am all for the expansion and promotion of women's wrestling. Frankly, they should probably have 7 weight classes. The should have ten weight classes. Seven is too few. Six is absurd.

[AnklePicker 521]

If there are only 6 weights...screw the IOC and the Olympics. I believe the credibility of the Olympics will take a hit with the exclusion of wrestling. Wrestlers want to be the best of the best and right now the Olympics represent that. It doesn't always have to.

[Jaguar 0]

wouldnt 9 and 9 or even 8 and 8 be better than 6, 6 and 6?

 

i dont want to see greco-roman taken off the olympic slate but it seems like the best of 2 undesirable alternatives.

 

USA Wrestling has already given up on Greco. They made no significant changes since the dismal showing in 2012, though I wouldn't be so sure that Greco is the style that would be eliminated.

[CaspianMonster 0]

We should remove the women's weight classes.

 

The only form of competition female wrestling breeds is that of medal chasing. America and China can add some more medals for their medal count.

[Jaroslav Hasek 1,865]

We should remove the women's weight classes.

 

The only form of competition female wrestling breeds is that of medal chasing. America and China can add some more medals for their medal count.

 

i think you've hit on an effective strategy. eliminating women's weight classes now would for sure guarantee that no man or woman ever chases an olympic medal in wrestling ever again.