Chuck Grassley Seeks U.S. Senate Support to Keep Wrestling in the Olympic Games

The backlash by Iowans and others who are passionate about keeping wrestling, one of the world's oldest competitive sports, in the Olympics has gained two powerful allies.

Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio today introduced a resolution to express disapproval by the U.S. Senate of the proposal from the International Olympic Committee Executive Board to eliminate wrestling from the Summer Olympic Games beginning in 2020, according to a news release from Grassley's office.

“Wrestling was part of both the ancient Greek Olympic Games and the modern Olympic Games, and wrestling remains a popular sport around the world, so it’s very hard to understand the Olympic Committee’s decision,” Grassley said. “I’m hopeful that the negative public reaction to the decision and other efforts like this resolution can reverse the decision to recommend eliminating wrestling from the Summer Games.”

Click here to read the Brown-Grassley Sense of the Senate Resolution.

Wrestling has a chance to be included in the 2020 Games, but that is likely a longshot so soon after Tuesday's announcement, reports USA Today. It will now compete against seven other sports for Olympic inclusion: baseball/softball, karate, roller sports, sport climbing, squash, wakeboarding and wushu. A decision will be made in September.

Retired University of Iowa wrestling coach Dan Gable, a national champion at Iowa State, won a freestyle wrestling gold medal in 1972, without surrendering a single point. Gable told the Des Moines Register he'll fight the move.

“Right now, I’m not going to change because I see an initial vote," Gable told the Register. I’m not going to quit. I’m going to fight.”

Dropping wrestling as an Olympic sport "shortens the distance of the goals kids can make for themselves," Vollmecke said. "The best they can be now is a world champion, if that even continues."

The decision is a huge topic in Iowa, long a stronghold for youth wrestling. Thousands of Iowans have converged on the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines Thursday for the start of the three-day IHSAA state wrestling tournament. 

Because the state wrestling tournament is such a fan favorite, Waukee wrestling coach Chad Vollmecke didn't expect the Olympic news to dampen spirits. But, "it will definitely be a subject of conversation among the coaches," he added.

The IOC will hear presentations from wrestling and other sports in May, with a final vote in September, USA Today said.

Wrestling is known as the world's oldest competitive sport, USA Today says. It dates to cave drawings of wrestling found as far back as 3000 BC and was part of the ancient Olympics in 708 BC. When the modern Games resumed in 1896, wrestling was one of nine sports on the program.