Wrestling Groups Petition IOC

A global coalition of wrestling groups has launched a website and several petitions which urge the International Olympic Committee to reconsider their decision to drop the sport starting with the 2020 Games.  The coalition has vowed to make changes in order to remain an Olympic sport.

FILA President Nenad LalovicFILA takes its responsibly very seriously on behalf of all the 180 affiliated National Federations and all the wrestlers in the world. We understand the IOC recommendation and respect the process. As a sport, we are willing to undertake all the necessary steps for our sport to remain on the core program of the Olympic Games. The world of wrestling is understandably disappointed by the IOC Executive Board’s recommendation to remove wrestling from the 2020 Olympic Games program. We see this as an opportunity which could be a positive turning point for our sport. One thing is for certain : it is our responsibility alone to address the issues that led to this situation. We are listening to the IOC’s concerns and learning from their guidance. We must strive to improve our sport’s Olympic offering in order to retain our position on the Olympic program and evolve with the times.