Infolady Posted May 29, 2013 Share Posted May 29, 2013 Statement from USA Wrestling President Jim Ravannack “USA Wrestling is pleased with the decision of the International Olympic Committee Executive Board to select wrestling as one of the three sports on the short list for consideration for a position in the 2020 Olympic Games program. This outcome was made possible by the hard work and dedication of the worldwide wrestling community. USA Wrestling has taken a leadership role in supporting FILA in its efforts to improve our sport and retain its Olympic status. I want to thank all Americans who have stepped up in the last few months for wrestling, especially those who are involved in USA Wrestling’s grassroots programs, working daily on behalf of our nation’s young people. There is much more work to be done, and we look forward to the challenges ahead. We believe in our leadership team and in the passion of the wrestling community as it pursues the goal of remaining an Olympic sport.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charger.dad Posted May 29, 2013 Share Posted May 29, 2013 and what are the other 2 sports up for consideration? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Y2CJ41 Posted May 29, 2013 Share Posted May 29, 2013 Baseball/Softball(combined bid) and squash Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ENoblewrestling Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 How many of those three will get back in? Also what effect do you think that the World Baseball Classic has on baseball's inclusion? It seems as though they really didn't mind getting dropped originally. I would say that softball would have a lot more concern about being involved in the Olympics. Does anyone know anything about squash? Where is it played, how popular is it, things like that? I have a basic idea about what squash is, but really don’t know much other than it is kind of similar to racquetball, and I may be wrong on that too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattM Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 How many of those three will get back in? Also what effect do you think that the World Baseball Classic has on baseball's inclusion? It seems as though they really didn't mind getting dropped originally. I would say that softball would have a lot more concern about being involved in the Olympics. Does anyone know anything about squash? Where is it played, how popular is it, things like that? I have a basic idea about what squash is, but really don’t know much other than it is kind of similar to racquetball, and I may be wrong on that too. Only 1 sport gets in but only as a temporary sport not as a core one. Which means we would have to go through the same process again for future inclusion. The assumption being if we can prove our sport should remain in for a few cycles then we may get back into the core list. As for Squash, I believe they maybe a bigger threat to us than baseball/softball. It has a large and rapidly growing international following from several demographics. (Young/old, male/female, rich/poor. In countries with high Olympic viewing/in countries that want to increase low medal count), a cheap sport to install in terms of venue and medal distribution, and a very strong presentation among other qualities. Here is a taste of what squash is presenting to the IOC. and a previous Olympic bid spot which I'm sure they use information from to show their sports modern progress http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=G3ZpCQ0-G-g#! I think we may have enough push right now to win the vote for the 2020 spot, but afterward our momentum will subside while sports like squash will continue to press on after getting so close. The bigger challenge for wrestling may not be getting into the 2020 games, as much as it will be to keep the movement going afterward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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