EXECUTIVE NOTES By Rich Bender, USA Wrestling Executive Director
Wrestling is stepping up big to retain its Olympic status
It has been three months since the International Olympic Committee Executive Board recommended that wrestling be removed as a core sport for the 2020 Olympic Games. After the first 90 days, it is apparent that the entire sport of wrestling has stepped up and faced this challenge head-on. The final decision on the program at the 2020 Olympics will be made in September at the IOC General Assembly in Buenos Aires, Argentina. There is a key vote by the IOC Executive Board in late May in St. Petersburg, Russia, where wrestling will be considered with seven other sports to become a finalist to compete for the one provisional spot in the 2020 Games. The volume and quality of work which has been done to sup- port wrestling, both on the international level and right here in the United States, is both massive and impressive. This is the most serious challenge wrestling has ever faced in its existence. A trait of a wrestler is an amazing work ethic, which we have witnessed since day one in the Keep Olympic Wrestling effort. We start with the Committee to Preserve Olympic Wrestling (CPOW), the U.S. leadership group which manages USA Wrestling’s involvement in the effort. The membership of CPOW is truly an all-star cast, a group with vast experience, knowledge and skill in all walks of life. These leaders have a fierce commit- ment to prevail and are doing what is necessary for us to win this fight. There is not enough space in this magazine to tell the full story of the heroic effort that CPOW has invested on wrestling’s behalf.
CPOW has set a strategy to support the international effort to achieve our goals. CPOW has created programs at every level, including international relations, public relations, fundraising and grassroots development. Using the financial resources provided specifically to this effort by the American wrestling community, a team of professionals has come together to execute a brilliant game plan.
FILA, the international wrestling federation, has also met the challenge, led by Acting President Nenad Lalovic of Serbia, who
was selected by the FILA Bureau just days after this crisis began. Lalovic has committed to lead wrestling on a path of change and demonstrate to the IOC that we can be an effective partner within the Olympic family. FILA is poised to take a new direction, changing its rules and the governance structure while creating opportunity for athletes and women in its leadership. FILA’s public relations slogan “Strength Is The Power To Change,” describes its approach to this crisis.
I am so incredibly proud of the membership of USA Wrestling and the wrestling community in our nation, which has also stepped up to support the effort from day one. We have had amazing involvement from the U.S. wrestling family, from our Board of Directors, state leaders, coaches, athletes, officials, parents, sponsors and fans. You are signing up to help, making donations, spreading the word through social media and much more. You are making a difference. We have entered May, which was declared World Wrestling Month by FILA. This concept, initially developed by CPOW has been launched by FILA and its 177 national wrestling federa- tions. The plan is to celebrate the sport and show the world the importance and value of wrestling prior to the crucial IOC vote in Russia in late May. The United States is hosting four different major World
Wrestling Month events. It starts with the Curby Cup of Greco- Roman in LaGrange, Ill. on May 11. The Rumble On The Rails, a USA vs. Iran vs. Russia event in famed Grand Central Terminal in New York City is on May 15. A USA vs. Iran dual, billed United 4 Wrestling, follows in Los Angeles on May 19. A youth event, the Junior Greco World Duals, is part of this effort in Concord, Calif., May 23-25. Our women’s team will also go to Canada on May 31 for another big event promoting wrestling. All of this will bring vast public attention to our cause and showcase the best of our sport. We continue to count on your support and involvement to help us reach the finish line and win this race.
Ken Chertow Wrestling
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