IOC drops wrestling from 2020 Olympics

In a surprise recommendation, the IOC dropped wrestling from the Olympics beginning in 2020 on Tuesday. According to a Reuters report, the decision was just a recommendation and the sport will have a chance to make it back onto the program when the committee meets in Buenos Aires in September. However, it is unlikely wrestling will be voted back in; a total of seven sports are fighting for one spot.

"This is not the end of the process, this is purely a recommendation," IOC spokesman Mark Adams told reporters after the executive board vote. "It is the session which is sovereign."

"It was a decision to look at the core sports, what works best for the Olympic games. This was the best program for the 2020 Olympics. This is not about what's wrong with wrestling but what is good for the Games."

Other sports considered in the Tuesday recommendation included taekwondo, modern pentathlon and field hockey. According to Olympic sports writer Philip Hersh, financial considerations may have been a more important factor than popularity:

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