Wrestling Moves a Step Closer to Regaining Olympic Status

With the IOC announcing the cut in its shortlist on sports vying for the last spot in the 2020 Olympics, Al Dannity explains why today is a good day for Wrestling and Canadian sport.

The news started to filter through this morning. Stage one complete. Beijing gold medallist Carol Huynh expressed her delight on Twitter. Wrestling’s opponents for the last place on the Olympic are dwindling. Now it’s a three way dance between the ancient art, Squash, and a combined bid from Baseball and Softball.

The lengthy dominance of the USA in Softball always hurt its image in the Olympics, the type of damage a more high money-spinning sport like Basketball can withstand. Baseball, at the professional level, is far more interested in developing the World Baseball Classic. Again the comparison with Basketball is clear. FIBA and the NBA both want the FIBA World Cup to be the big event in the sport but the International Olympic Committee (IOC) sees the benefit it gains from having the sport. The IOC doesn’t have the same interest in Baseball. Don’t expect to see a diamond at the Olympics for the foreseeable future.

Squash presents a much greater threat. With political will, a TV-friendly level of action, and broad interest from some highly populous countries, the stage looked set for Squash to take the step into the Olympics before the IOC elected to choose Wrestling as the candidate for elimination. Had any other sport been chosen, I guarantee Squash would have won the final vote. It has simply too much going for it, at least in the IOC’s eyes.

Wrestling however has rallied since being initially selected as the sport to exclude. Support from pro sports, most notably the UFC, has certainly helped while the work on the ground from former and current participants is more than making up for the failure of FILA to recognise the sport was under threat. It certainly hasn’t hurt that thousands of columnists who have barely watched the sport in their lives have come out in support. The feeling among the sports writing community is simple. Most of us may not be Wrestling fans but the Olympics without it just isn’t right.

Why should Canada care? Well aside from being a key breeding ground for the MMA stars of tomorrow it’s a sport where Canada has consistently delivered in the Olympics. You have to go all the way back to Seoul in 1988 for a year where Canada failed to pick up a medal. Huynh added a bronze in London to her Beijing gold. The Olympics is an international event where fans care most about local success. Keeping Wrestling in the games will only help on that front. The fight isn’t over but today was a good start.