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Wrestling Omitted from 2020 Olympic Games

Elsa
/
Getty Images

The wrestling locally and across the globe is fighting to keep the sport as a core game in the 2020 Summer Olympics.

On Tuesday, the International Olympic Committee recommended not including wrestling in the 2020 Olympic Games.  Karate, wakeboarding, roller sports, baseball/softball, the Martial Art wushu, squash and sport climbing are among the other sports being considered to replace wrestling.

Jason Bovenzi is the Varsity Wrestling coach at Pittsford High School. He says the decision wasn't carefully throughout.

"Of all the sports, I felt like wrestling embodied the spirit of the Olympic Games and because of its history," Bonvenzi says. "I'm just shocked it was mentioned on being on the chopping block as one of the sports they were looking to discontinue."

Rochester Institute of Technology's head wrestling coach, Scott Stever, says the news of the sport being omitted from the  2020 Games was the topic of discussion during Tuesday night's practice.

"It's sad because the wrestling community here in Rochester, we support wrestling," Stever says. "They like to watch the Olympics. There are wrestlers who have gone on and become Olympic champions for example Dave Auble from Ithaca, New York in 1960. He was the Olympic wrestling champion."

Stever says the news come as high school wrestling is at an all-time high. 

Wrestling is one of the oldest sports in the world and was in the original Olympic Games in Greece in the 1896.