Wrestling and the IOC - 2020

[Buckeye2b]

Many of you will remember the IOC pulling the plug on wrestling in the Olympics in lieu of otherwise more fan demanded sports like underwater tiddlywinks. I remember that attendance at a sport like wrestling was an issue, although-and this number has stuck with me- over 94% of the ticketed seats were sold over the sessions at the last Olympics.

So today I'm watching Brazil men (the home team) play Lithuania on the first round, and the gym is pretty full, but not sold out. Then I got to an equestrian event (and this is Olympic athletics??? Really?) on another channel, and they have monstrous stands in their arena, and relatively no one in attendance. I haven't forgotten yet, the BS end around the IOC tried to pull on the wrestling community, and even though the 2020 Olympics were saved, they need to know the public haven't forgotten their push to take an original sport from the Olympic venue.

Screw the IOC!!!

[Buckeye2b]

I'm still pissing and moaning. Turned on an equestrian event today, where the horse is the bigger athlete that the jockey, and over half the seats in the arena were empty... Yet, 94% of the available tickets sold were too small for the wrestling venue in 2012. Eat me IOC...

Sad this is such a sore spot for me, because I love Olympic competition and that it normally brings out the best in athletes.

[deathfromabove]

Buckeye, I know what you are going through. I used to wrestle in high school my freshman and sophomore years until JUST Plain got tired or hurt after football season. My oldest son wrestle all through high school even though he was hurt most of his senior year because of football and he was tired because football they were state champs. But also the wrestling coach wanted the kids, mainly my son since he was one of the captains, on the mat without resting and that further damage his shoulder. But anyway we thought that was a terrible thing those a$$holes in the IOC did to a popular sport.

[Buckeye2b]

Women's single archery final match (recurve bow) was Korea vs. China. Small crowd... much less than half the stands filled for a FINAL!!! Kind of cool to watch how good the ladies were, but the crowd?? Sorry IOC. No more archery in the Olympics for you.

And what will they do for surfing when the Olympics are hosted by a city like Montreal again? Or Moscow? Something that is so landlocked that they can't do anything about it...  I have never gotten over them trying to dump wrestling, as one of the oldest and original sports that helped to create the games.  My panties are still in a bunch years later. 

[deathfromabove]

Buckeye, We can always host the surfing event in one of the great lakes city. Just think about this, host it in Cleveland and as the theme song they could play, There's no surf in Cleveland Ohio.