Waukee Coach Disappointed by Decision to Drop Wrestling from 2020 Olympic Games

A decision today by the International Olympic Committee to drop wrestling from the 2020 games is eliciting shock, protests and disappointment from Iowa fans of the ancient sport.

Waukee High School wrestling coach Chad Vollmecke told Patch he's disappointed by the vote..

"I don't understand how the world's oldest and greatest sport, the prime example of Olympic competition and competition in general, can be removed," Vollmecke said.

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 will converge 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 favoriate, Vollmecke doesn'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.

So Vollmecke and his coaches will talk to athletes today "about how it's not a done-deal, how people who are recognizable on the world stage are fighting for the sport we love, and how it doesn't keep kids we coach from living in the now and having big dreams for their future," he 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.

For now the Waukee coach said he hopes wrestling icons like Dan Gable, J. Robinson, Cael Sanderson, and the newly crowned Olympic champions like Jordan Burroughs and Jake Varner can have an impact on the international body's decision.

"I'm concerned about how this will impact other countries and their athletics, considering many countries rely on wrestling on the world stage for identity and economical support," Vollmecke said.