Wrestling could be removed from Olympics

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - Wrestling is a popular sport all around the world. However, the sport may cease to exist on the world's biggest stage, the Olympics.

Wrestlers of all ages and fans of the sport received disappointing news. The International Olympic Committee recommends cutting wrestling from the 2020 Olympics. The decision is disheartening for many including local wrestlers, who have aspirations to wrestle in the Olympics one day.

"I have always been taught to set your goals as high as you can," said former Delphi wrestler and current Purdue wrestler Braden Atwood. "I have the goal to wrestle in the Olympics and win an Olympic gold medal. I am going to try out for the 2016 Olympics and I want to wrestle in the 2020 Olympics and I don't ever want to stop the sport."

"Any little kid that starts wrestling or any sport of that matter that is kind of the pinnacle," said Purdue wrestling head coach Scott Hinkel. "At least for us because we don't have professional wrestling and at first I was just stunned."

Wrestling has been a part of the modern Olympics since 1896. The reasoning behind the decision is somewhat unclear. Wrestling has been well attended at the Olympics and arguably it is more popular than other sports still on the list of Olympic games.

"I was just in disbelief," said former McCutcheon wrestler and current Purdue wrestler Alex Griffin. "I didn't know at first if it was officially true and when I found at that it was, I couldn't believe it. I just couldn't believe that they could take the oldest sport and one of the first Olympic sports and just take it out of the Olympics and take it out for a couple other sports that arguably shouldn't be in the Olympics."

Wrestling could still make the 2020 Olympics. It joins seven other sports hoping to be re-instated. At a meeting in Russia in May, representatives from the eight sports plan to make presentations to the executive board of the International Olympic Committee. The board can then recommend to re-instate one of those sports. The final decision should be announced in September.