Matt Kryger-USA TODAY
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is a joke and a disgrace. I know that’s the title of the piece, but I do not think these words are used often enough to describe a corrupt group of people with their own agenda. In the latest of questionable moves, the IOC has decided to eliminate wrestling from the 2020 Summer Olympic Games.
My total frustration with the IOC isn’t a new thing. A total disregard for anything to do with the United States, and blatant anti-semitisim continues to stream through its core. In addition to humiliating the city of Chicago by not taking its bid for the 2016 games seriously (Chicago received the least number of votes), during the 2012 games in London, the IOC failed to recognize and honor the memories of the Israeli Olympic athletes that were slaughtered during the 1972 games in Munich.
While the IOC claims a moment of silence was observed at a separate ceremony, the fact that nothing was done during the opening of the games when the whole world was watching is disgraceful. Again, the IOC panders to certain countries, while ignoring and humiliating others.
I do not write this piece because I am a huge wrestling fan; I write this because if there’s any sport that deserves to be a part of the Olympic games, it’s wrestling. While I respect the time and dedication that goes into equestrian and synchronized swimming, you cannot tell me that these events warrant being an Olympic sport more than wrestling. If you look at the pattern of the IOC, they’re regularly eliminating sports dominated by the US.
For example, baseball and softball are no longer sanctioned events. You mean to tell me that while table tennis–a game that isn’t even competitively played in the US–is more of an example of athletic ability that softball? Just ask the pandering clowns at the IOC. They’ll argue that baseball or softball aren’t worldwide games. Yeah, I’ve noticed the growing table tennis leagues popping up in my neighborhood.
While the wrestling community still has time to fight this decision, they’re fighting an uphill battle. Wrestling is a sport that its participants and coaches are passionate about; and they’re dedicated for things that are bigger than money. With this decision by the IOC, it helps reinforce the idea that sports like wrestling aren’t important. With schools cutting funding for athletics, this latest move isn’t what the doctor ordered for a sport that’s becoming less-and-less funded. But even worse than that, its fate is being dictated by a corrupt group with an agenda that has nothing to do with the Olympic games.
