Just heard the news from today that effective the 2020 games, Wrestling will no longer be one of the events. Sure, it goes into the inclusion pool of seven sports vying for one spot (not sure what the others are, to be honest)...but to me this is just an odd decision. I mean, this is one of the events the Games were built on and to the best of my knowledge amateur wrestling was still going fairly strong.

Wrestling was dropped so the IOC could add golf, a sport that already has its own professional circuit to determine its world champ, and rugby, a sport that has numerous professional leagues as well as an established World Cup. It seems that wrestling simply isn't as exciting as watching very wealthy people hit a tiny ball into a hole that's a quarter-mile away.

This makes zero sense to me. Wrestling was pretty much the reason why the Olympics exist, considering it is pretty much the first sport.

Why do they have to drop sports to add new ones?

Hail, you made some great points. Golf, like other major sports, has it's own world championship. I can't see golfers getting stoked about the olympics when the prize is most likely significantly less than a major tourney win. And rugby... RUGBY? There is a large portion of the world that has no idea how rugby works. Why not add American football and cricket while they're at it?

Wait, so dressage is still in, but wrestling is out?

Meh. Doesn't matter. The winter Olympics are the only ones that matter anyways.

Honestly, it's really starting to get that way.

Hercules weeps bitter tears at the removal of pankration from the Olympiad.

I call for the inclusion of Disc Golf in the Olympics.

Why not?

oooo or mini golf. lets add mini-golf

Actually, now that golf is in as a sport, mini golf and disc golf would have a comparatively easy time getting admitted as disciplines within that sport. Both sports have international federations to govern them, and individual events (men's, women's, team) could be constructed within each discipline.
Well, baseball is out for that reason (not to mention the need for a large specialized playing field), and the Commonwealth nations *have* been trying to get cricket back on the program for years. Sadly, part of the decision boils down to popularity. If seats are empty at an event, or if the international federation doesn't do a good job of representing the sport, it's not likely to stick around (this seems to be what happened with wrestling - the modern pentathlon folks were better lobbyists).

Scary thought that something like Mini-Golf could ever be in the olympics lol. Not much of an exciting spectator sport is it.

72 countries participated in Wrestling in London last year. They said that the 'reason' for booting it was the # of viewers they had for the wrestling events (TV wise) and the ticket sales.

But yeah, dressage (don't say that to my wife though )

I am a sad soul with the loss of wrestling. I work with a former NCAA all american and have met 3 of our american gold medalist. Hopefully these 72 countries can get something done about it and kick out a different sport instead.

I weep for the country who's only representative was the amateur wrestler.

I saw this news and just shook my head in disgust.

Wrestling was one of the most-watched events where I live since gold medalist Jake Varner is a local guy and the Cal State Bakersfield wrestling team has been a very successful program.

Speaking as the brother of a 3-time state champion, 2-time New England champion, and academic All American at Roger Williams University...this is some bull####.

One theory I've seen advanced was that the IOC wanted to introduce a ringer into its own selection process. When the existing choices for new sports are things like wakeboarding, inline skating, and rock climbing, adding wrestling to the mix makes that decision a lot easier. "Ooh, sorry X-Games sports, but there's this other sporty thing that doesn't just predate Rollerblades - it predates the wheel. It's kind of a seniority thing. But do try again in four years!"