IOC votes to keep wrestling in the Olympic games for 2020 and 2024

Bad news Squash fans!

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board voted Sunday (September 8, 2013) to keep wrestling in the Olympic games. The meeting took place in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with Squash and Baseball/Softball also presenting cases for admittance in the games.

They needed 48 votes from the IOC. They got 49.

Baseball/Softball and Squash made compelling cases aided by snazzy video presentations, but it was Wrestling, with a really sincere testimony from the FILA President, as well as a contingent of well spoken former athletes, that won the vote.

The bad news is that Wrestling will still be a part of the 2016 games. But the IOC's vote means that it will also be part of the 2020 and 2024 games.

Wrestling is the oldest sport in the world and a lot of these problems could be directly related to FILA's belief that the history alone would keep it in the games. Hopefully this will serve as a wake up call and FILA will continue to develop the sport around the world to ensure that amateur wrestlers will always have the ability to compete in the Olympics.