Ellis Coleman Among Many Slamming IOC for Wanting to Drop Wrestling

The amateur wrestling world was noticeably livid that the International Olympic Committee announced recently it is looking to drop the ancient sport from its card in 2020.

And the Oak Park River Forest high schooler who perfected the Flying Squirrel move did one of his own on the IOC.

Ellis Coleman told DNAinfo.com that he was stunned by the IOC's recommendation to drop freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling, which have been Olympics fixtures since 708 B.C.

Coleman, who wrestled in the 2012 London Games in the Greco-Roman discipline, let his emotions out a bit, DNAinfo.com reported.

"I've been wrestling since I was 9 years old, and I can honestly say all my blessings have come from this sport. As crazy as my life story may be, every time I turned a corner and grew, it was through wrestling," said Coleman to DNAinfo.com. Coleman escaped a life of gangs and drugs to excel at Oak Park and River Forest High School.

Coleman, who's preparing for the 2016 Rio Games in Brazil at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, said he will be sending emails and Internet links to friends to try and save wrestling from the IOC chopping block, DNAinfo reports.

In recent years, the I.O.C. has expressed concern about the growing size of the Summer Games and has wanted to cap the number of athletes at about 10,500. It has also said that it wants to attract younger viewers to the international television audience, according to the New York Times.

The Times reports that there is a chance that the Olympic Committee could reverse its decision in May, when it considers a 26th sport to add to the 2020 Games.

A final decision will be made in September, but wrestling’s immediate Olympic future seemed doubtful, according to veteran observers of the Games, the Times reports