Jump to content
NEurope
Mokong

Wrestling to be dropped from 2020 Summer Olympics

Recommended Posts

No Pro-Wrestling jokes now :heh:

 

 

Just heard this on the news.

 

Even though it wasn't one of the sports I would follow during an Olympic games I'm actually a bit sad about this.

 

Given that Wrestling was one of the sports contested in the original Ancient Olympic Games it seems a bit surprising that it could be dropped from the Modern Games. I always just assumed any sport from the Anceint Games would always be part of the Modern Games....although we never did have Chariot racing did we?

 

And considering it has been in the games for well over 100 years I'd assume the Olympics were prolly the biggest event for Wrestling (and some other sports).

 

I feel sorry for any up and coming ametuer wrestlers who might have had Olympic ambitions now not getting the chance to realise those dreams

 

Apparently it might still be added back in but it now has to "compete" against baseball/softball, karate, roller sports, sport climbing, squash, wakeboarding and wushu. The IOC will vote (I don't know when this vote happens?) for one of those to be instated or reinstated in Wrestlings case.

 

Though of those sports I wouldn't mind seeing either Roller Sports or Wakeboarding get in.

 

Don't know why they capped teh sports to 28...well I guess it is to help with the organisation and stuff for the hosts. 28 seems an odd number they should increase teh sports cap to 30 :heh:

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Don't agree with this being dropped at all. As you mentioned @Mokong X\-C, it's part of tradition. I would have had this down as one of your "typical" Olympic sports. The pinnacle for this sport is at the Olympic games, winning that gold.

 

Squash would be a great one to watch, though. Baseball/softball seems like a bad choice to me.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Rugby Sevens an Olympic sport.

 

 

That is the joke.

 

Horsing is multiple Olympic sports. That's an even bigger joke. And the athletes (the horses) don't even represent their own country.

 

I'd love to see squash in the Olympics. I'd actually watch that.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I also disagree with wrestling being dropped.

 

Not only is wrestling one of the oldest sports in the world, dating back to the ancient Olympic games, but it's also one of the most basic, stripped down forms of human competition. It's less about the luck of the bounce of a ball and more to do with the competitors themselves, infact wearing a singlet you're basically naked, its just you vs the other guy and may the best man win, and less to do with factors like differences in equipment etc.

 

Also wrestling treats the Olympics as the pinnacle of it's sport. World champion is all well and good but it's Olympic Champion that means the most. Top level wrestlers are incredible athletes but they are doing to be denied the prestige of an Olympic gold medal, while some golfer probably wins one, it's just not right to me.

 

Plus wrestling needs the exposure much more than a lot of the more popular Olympics sports such as football and tennis which do quite well without the Olympics.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Well, that's a bummer. Wrestling and the Marathon pretty much represent the Olympics, in my mind. No better sports to represent physical fitness and competition.

 

Plus, I'm all for having less watched sports in there.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Watch this and STFU

 

 

What is your point?

 

Include the sport in all it's glory or don't. Embarrassing that other sports are being dropped or not being included for a sport no one cares about except you apparently.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Sevens is hugely popular around the world, nations from all over the world compete. For instance, Kenya nearly beat England in the final of the Dubai Sevens recently.

 

The embarrassment is synchronised swimming, beach volleyball or table tennis being part of the Olympics.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Sevens is hugely popular around the world, nations from all over the world compete. For instance, Kenya nearly beat England in the final of the Dubai Sevens recently.

 

The embarrassment is synchronised swimming, beach volleyball or table tennis being part of the Olympics.

 

Shall we include 5-a-side football as well?

 

Hey what about tag Rugby?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Sevens is hugely popular around the world, nations from all over the world compete. For instance, Kenya nearly beat England in the final of the Dubai Sevens recently.

 

The embarrassment is synchronised swimming, beach volleyball or table tennis being part of the Olympics.

 

Sevens isn't hugely popular, it gets no coverage at all. Table Tennis is hugely popular all over the world, it should absolutely be included. The others i'm not that bothered about. The Olympics is elite competition at it's finest, a watered down version of a sport has no place in the games.

 

Shall we include 5-a-side football as well?

 

Hey what about tag Rugby?

 

Exactly. Many people disagree with football being in the Olympics but at least it's the full sport, not some half assed effort.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Sevens is pretty much its own sport these days, the skills required are totally different. I'd love to see crowds like these at 5 a side football or ping pong matches:

 

Hong Kong Sevens:

27Mar11_HK7s_RS04057_335.jpg

 

Dubai Sevens:

SM2009_1dubai1.gif

 

Let alone in rugby hotbeds like the UK, Australia, NZ, SA etc. The full version of rugby could never be an Olympic sport anyway, not with the recovery times needed between matches. You'd never fit in enough games sadly.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

So what are the differences between full Rugby and Rugby Sevens?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
So what are the differences between full Rugby and Rugby Sevens?

 

Union or League (I don't even know the difference between them)?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

All I know about Rugby Sevens is that Portugal is better at that one than the one that was held in France a few years back.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

No one cares about rugby league. Union is far better and more popular.

 

Sevens is (funnily enough) played with teams of seven. 14 minute matches, 7 minutes each half. Same basic rules as rugby. For obvious reasons, the pace is a lot faster. Players need to be hugely fit, and whilst rugby union is a game for all shapes and sizes, Sevens you have to be more of an all round athlete, big, strong and QUICK.

 

The playing field tends to be a lot more level, that's why you get 'smaller' rugby nations like Kenya, Ivory Coast, Russia, Portugal etc doing well and standing toe to toe with the big boys (not always, but often).

 

Personally, I'm not a big fan of Sevens, but I can appreciate how popular it is, and how it's a far better fit for the Olympics than Union.

Edited by Ronnie

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Rugby Union just wouldn't work within the context of the Olympics. If you consider that the Rugby World Cup lasts over a month due to the physical nature of the sport and needing to give players enough time to recover between matches, it just wouldn't be feasible unless they played the round robins pre-Olympics and then only held the knock out stages which, while exciting, would most likely only consist of the top 8 nations, i.e. Wales, England, Ireland, France, South Africa, Argentina, Australia, and New Zealand.

 

Rugby 7s at least allows other, smaller nations a chance at winning a medal. And the shorter match times mean less time between matches and so it works within the strict schedule of the Olympics.

 

I'm all for Rugby 7s being in the Olympics. Personally love watching it myself. A quicker game and a lot more exciting to watch at times than Rugby Union. Also the fans are great, regardless of where they're from you can always have a laugh and a great time.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
For obvious reasons, the pace is a lot faster. Players need to be hugely fit, and whilst rugby union is a game for all shapes and sizes, Sevens you have to be more of an all round athlete, big, strong and QUICK.

 

All of those could apply to League, yet you just said it was inferior.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
All of those could apply to League, yet you just said it was inferior.

 

Exactly, just as League is far inferior to Union.

 

13 identical sized players, running at the opposition, being tackled, no competition for the ball on the floor, try again, and repeat. No proper scrums, no lineouts. Dumbed down rugby.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I just don't get why wrestling has been dropped, it's such a staple to the games. Same as the track and field events.

 

I don't agree on Rugby or Golf being included in the Olympics, both are not Olympic sports.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
I also disagree with wrestling being dropped.

 

Not only is wrestling one of the oldest sports in the world, dating back to the ancient Olympic games, but it's also one of the most basic, stripped down forms of human competition. It's less about the luck of the bounce of a ball and more to do with the competitors themselves, infact wearing a singlet you're basically naked, its just you vs the other guy and may the best man win, and less to do with factors like differences in equipment etc.

 

Also wrestling treats the Olympics as the pinnacle of it's sport. World champion is all well and good but it's Olympic Champion that means the most. Top level wrestlers are incredible athletes but they are doing to be denied the prestige of an Olympic gold medal, while some golfer probably wins one, it's just not right to me.

 

Plus wrestling needs the exposure much more than a lot of the more popular Olympics sports such as football and tennis which do quite well without the Olympics.

 

Very good points there. Wrestling is one of the very basic martial arts out there, and has been around since the beginning of the olympics. Just an idiotic move to take it out, don't they have any respect for their own heritage...

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Did anyone actually watch the Wrestling during the London games? I'm willing to bet the WWE thread got more posts than the wrestling one.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

×